MGMA Recap

SimpleVisit was featured in a panel discussion on Virtual Visits for the local MGMA conference. SimpleVisit founders Rob Warlick and Chris Knotts were joined with Dr. Kerry Palakanis of Crisfield Clinic and John Kornak, the former head of Telemedicine for the University of Maryland. This panel covered an overview of the emerging demand for video visits and how they are applied locally.

Here are a few quotes and highlights from the conversation:

Dr. Kerry Palakanis on restrictions and reimbursement in telemedicine:

“Services provided through telehealth are subject to the same program restrictions, pre-authorizations, limitations, and coverage that exist for the service when provided in-person…. they are also reimbursed the same as in-person services and on a fee-for-service basis.”

“The other half to that is that services that are rendered via telehealth in the state of Maryland are reimbursable at the same rate as (per) in-person visits. So whether I see you in person or whether I see you over a computer screen, I as a healthcare provider use the same ENM codes”

Chris Knotts on trends in Telemedicine:

“As I have observed the market develop, Ive seen a couple of trends. 1. Almost all, if not all of the payers offer some type of direct to consumer, direct to member telemedicine or virtual visit benefit just baked right into the plan. As a consumer, as a member, as a patient that is compelling. Now I have this right from my insurance provider, this new way to get care. Not my regular doctor, so that’s one of the downsides. You never know who you are going to get when they execute that video visit but it’s there. And as for this group right here, what I see that as is essentially….. Patients are becoming more aware of it. They are starting to use it. It’ contributing to some of the numbers Rob has up there. So that is definitely a trend and something that is here to stay.”

John Kornak on choosing the correct telemedicine solution:

“If you’re looking at technology first, it’s incorrect. You should start at the beginning. Look at all of your use cases, especially your derm, primary care, behavioral health. Look at where telemedicine can fit in, scope it out and the ultimately once you figure out where you want to go then you start looking at technology vendors. Don’t select one particular just because you heard about it. Look at all the platforms, what advantages they are for your program. Test them, demo them out, bring the solution on. Most of them will give you a 6month trial or 30-day trial Try it out, see if it’ll work.”

This panel led to an interesting and informative discussion about the State of Telemedicine and televisits in Maryland. For more information on telemedicine in Maryland, download this FREE resource>>>

About SimpleVisit

SimpleVisit is a video service which allows patients and providers to connect over the video platform of their choice. With SimpleVisit providers are able to deliver on-demand visits to patients over any device or platform they have available to them. For more information on SimpleVisit and on how we are enabling providers to host virtual visits check out www.SimpleVisit.com