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Periodic updates to Congress on RAND’s work in health | Web version
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Congressional Newsletter
August 20, 2020
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Photo by fizkes/Getty Images
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In order to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress temporarily expanded telehealth services to help make sure that people still have access to care during this public health crisis. With many of the temporary telehealth flexibilities set to expire, policymakers are looking at ways to make these changes permanent. In a recent commentary, Lori Uscher-Pines examines what still stands in the way of sustained use of telehealth treatment and what policymakers can do to cultivate its growth.
Read the commentary »
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Telemedicine can improve access to care by bringing medical care into communities with limited access to providers or facilities. However, when telemedicine is offered in safety net settings, it tends to be available in a limited capacity. A new RAND study examining one model in California found that safety net medical providers can substantially increase their telemedicine services with modest investments in new staff and technology. While the study focused on health centers in California, the findings have implications for how to sustain the rapid expansion of telemedicine triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to sustain the expansion of telemedicine, policymakers could provide greater flexibility in the type of visits that qualify for reimbursement.
Read the report »
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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many psychiatrists have rapidly transitioned to telemedicine. A recent RAND study aimed to understand the impact on care, the barriers psychiatrists encountered, and the plans for telemedicine treatment in the future. Although psychiatrists expressed some concerns about the quality of these encounters, the transition has largely been positive for both patients and psychiatrists.
Read the study »
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dusanpetkovic/Getty Images
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Across the United States and internationally, multiple health care sites have embraced technology-enabled collaborative learning and capacity-building models. The first implementation of this model, Project ECHO, launched in 2003 in New Mexico. According to a congressionally mandated report conducted by RAND, there has been much enthusiasm for and rapid expansion of ECHO and ECHO-like models (EELM), and these models addressed some provider-related outcomes, such as provider satisfaction, increased knowledge, and increased clinical confidence. However, the success of rapidly scaling up EELM has not been matched with rigorous evaluation and evidence of impact on patient outcomes, or even provider outcomes such as retention.
Read the report »
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RAND Congressional Resources Staff
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Experts and Research Available to You
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Members of Congress and staff can receive free copies of RAND reports and engage with researchers. To request reports, briefings, or meetings, or to invite researchers to testify, please contact:
ocr@rand.org or
(703) 413-1100, ext. 5643. |
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Policy Currents is a weekly overview of RAND research and analysis on today’s most pressing issues. Available as both a newsletter and a five-minute podcast, Policy Currents helps you better understand the world.
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