NEWS - JULY 2008

ELECTRONIC HEALTH

In early July, Hawaii led the rest of the United States by implementing an online health consultation service for Blue Cross members.  The Online Healthcare Marketplace enables patients to engage in real-time online consultations with doctors who participate in Hawaii's Blue Cross Blue Shield plan. Physicians are reimbursed for Hawaii Blues members. For other state residents, the system is available on a fee-for-service basis, with rates as low as $40 per ten minute increment.  More information is available through several sources: American Well, OneMedPlace, or SmartBrief.

The following abstracts describe medical record systems, second opinion services, and related topics.

Electronic Consults Rule Proposed by Centers of Medicare and Medicaid (CMS)

As reported in Modern Healthcare, a proposed rule under consideration by Centers of Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) would allow physicians to bill and be paid for electronic consultations that follow up on inpatient encounters.  For example, telehealth and telemedicine payments would be expanded with the addition of new codes to cover physician-initiated consultations that were not available through in-person visits. Regulations would be enhanced with 56 new measures for the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative.  Comments are being accepted until August 29th, and a final rule could be released by November 1st.

For more information, visit: California Health Care Foundation.

Online Second Opinion Services 

Online second opinion services are available for patients to receive specialist consultations using records that are sent via facsimile, Internet, or regular mail.  A USA Today article republished findings from a Kaiser Family Foundation review of three leading competitors:  Johns Hopkins Medicine, Partners Online Specialty Consultations, and The Cleveland Clinic.  Each provider served approximately 1,000 patients annually, with typical costs of between $500 and $1,500 per pathology or radiology consultation.  Case managers matched physicians with patients for those who do not request specialists by name.

Since implemented in the late 1990s, the consultation technology has expanded from facsimile-based record transmissions to encrypted high-speed electronic submission, which improved availability and timeliness of the service.

For the full report, visit:  Kaiser Family Foundation.