Vizient, Inc. hosted a virtual congressional briefing on Wednesday, June 9, titled, “Telehealth, Not Just a Pandemic Back-up Plan.” Panelists discussed how hospitals provide telehealth services, lessons learned regarding the increased utilization of telehealth and what is needed to continue to support providers and patients beyond the pandemic.

“As the data shows, virtual health services are something that hospitals are clearly committed to investing in post-COVID,” said Saloni Jain, vice president, analytics and informatics at Vizient and moderator of the panel. “Over the past 18 months the conversation amongst providers has shifted from whether telehealth should be a service offered, to overcoming barriers in the implementation of such services across a wide range of hospitals with varying levels of technologically focused infrastructure in place.”

The discussion focused on hospital systems centered in both rural and urban communities, though the issues shared included common themes:

• Increased access to broadband - Regardless of location, access to reliable and affordable internet is pivotal to ensuring patients are able to access care in an efficient manner.
• Revised legislative and regulatory framework – As hospitals transition from the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, there is a need to maintain several of the flexibilities that have been provided in laws, regulations and licensure requirements.
• Appropriate reimbursement and payment parity –Post-COVID there needs to be an understanding of what services and procedures will be eligible for CMS reimbursement. For a sustainable model to be put into place, there needs to be clear and equitable reimbursement.
• Focus on increasing patient connection and trust – To have a quality, digital relationship, patients must have trust. As hospitals transition towards a more high-tech approach, they should not lose sight of high touch techniques that continue to build relationships with patients and their caregivers.

The panel featured:

• Russ Gronewold, MBA, President & CEO at Bryan Health
• Dr. Kenneth Holmen, President & CEO at CentraCare
• Catherine Krna, MBA, Vice President and Associate Dean of Ambulatory Care at Stanford Health Care
• Saloni Jain, Vice President Analytics and Informatics at Vizient
• Shoshana Krilow, Senior Vice President, Public Policy and Government Relations at Vizient

Read Vizient’s report, “Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Telehealth” here: https://newsroom.vizientinc.com/content/1221/files/Documents/EffectsOfCovid19PandemicOnTelehealth.pdf

About Vizient, Inc.

Vizient, Inc. provides solutions and services that improve the delivery of high-value care by aligning cost, quality and market performance for more than 50% of the nation’s acute care providers, which includes 95% of the nation’s academic medical centers, and more than 20% of ambulatory providers. Vizient provides expertise, analytics and advisory services, as well as a contract portfolio that represents more than $100 billion in annual purchasing volume, to improve patient outcomes and lower costs. Vizient has earned a World’s Most Ethical Company designation from the Ethisphere Institute every year since its inception. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Vizient has offices throughout the United States. Learn more at http://www.vizientinc.com/

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.@VizientInc hosted a virtual congressional briefing on Wednesday, June 9, titled, “Telehealth, Not Just a Pandemic Back-up Plan.”