Virtual Care

AMA: Commercial Coverage of Digital Medicine Services is Inconsistent

September 28, 2023 - Commercial coverage policies for digital medicine Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes are inconsistent and lag behind Medicare, an issue brief from the American Medical Association (AMA) found. Commercial payers often cover similar services as Medicare, but coverage and payment policies may differ between private and public plans. As digital...

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How Payers Can Reduce Emergency Department Admission Rates, Costs

by Kelsey Waddill

Members and payers do not always see eye-to-eye, but one point on which they closely align is their desire for members to stay out of the emergency department. Emergency department visits are associated with higher healthcare spending. A...

Blue Cross MA Expands Primary Care Network Amid Provider Shortages

by Victoria Bailey

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (Blue Cross) has added three physician groups to its primary care network to increase member access to care amid provider shortages. Most Blue Cross members...

Aetna Offers Virtual Care Tool for Gastrointestinal Chronic Diseases

by Kelsey Waddill

Aetna launched a partnership with a virtual care company to provide chronic disease management for members with digestive issues. Aetna’s partner offers a virtual care platform dedicated to...

Anthem Announces Virtual-First Health Plan in MO for Commercial Members

by Victoria Bailey

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri (Anthem) has introduced a virtual-first health plan to facilitate access to affordable virtual care for commercial plan members. “These...

HCSC Employs Virtual Care To Expand Access to Primary Care Services

by Kelsey Waddill

Ahead of 2023 open enrollment, Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) announced that it will make its virtual care options available to midsize and large employers in two new states in 2023. The...

Employer Sponsored Health Plans Will Prioritize Mental Health in 2023

by Victoria Bailey

Large employers plan to expand mental health and virtual care offerings in their 2023 employer-sponsored health plans, but concerns about healthcare costs and health equity persist, according to a...

Payer Fuses Family, Maternal Care Through Virtual Care, Care Management

by Kelsey Waddill

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network have partnered with Maven Clinic to combine family-building and maternal care support through virtual care and care management...

CVS Health Offers Virtual Primary Care Solution to Aetna Members

by Kelsey Waddill

CVS Health will be offering a virtual primary care solution to its Aetna members and CVS Caremark clients. The solution will connect members to primary care services including mental healthcare and...

CVS Health: More Americans Value Mental Health Conversations

by Kelsey Waddill

CVS Health leaders emphasized the power of virtual care and other resources in mental health after a CVS Health survey identified that mental healthcare needs continue to climb across the...

Payer, Walgreens Partner to Improve Equity, Care Coordination

by Kelsey Waddill

Blue Shield of California (Blue Shield) has partnered with Walgreens to launch more Walgreens Health Corner locations to reduce care disparities and facilitate better care coordination for members with...

UHC Introduces Employer-Sponsored, Virtual Care Physical Therapy

by Kelsey Waddill

UnitedHealthcare is introducing access to virtual care physical therapy for members in employer-sponsored health plans who suffer from musculoskeletal issues, according to an emailed press...

Aetna Prioritized Member Mental Healthcare, Virtual Care in 2021

by Victoria Bailey

CVS Health and its payer arm, Aetna, aimed to make strides in the healthcare industry in 2021 by delivering affordable healthcare services to members, increasing access to virtual and mental...

Americans Ready To Choose Coverage During 2022 Open Enrollment

by Kelsey Waddill

More than eight out of ten survey participants in UnitedHealthcare’s sixth annual Consumer Sentiment Survey indicated that they are ready to choose a health plan during 2022 open enrollment...

Teladoc, Trustmark Announce Virtual-First Health Plan

by Kelsey Waddill

Trustmark Health Benefits (Trustmark), the employer-sponsored health benefits arm of Trustmark Mutual Holding Company, has announced that it will partner with Teladoc to form a virtual-first health...

Payer Third Quarter Earnings Results Spotlight COVID-19 Impact

by Kelsey Waddill

Payer third quarter earnings results indicated that the coronavirus pandemic had varying effects on major payers in 2021. For some payers, higher than expected levels of deferred care led to revenue...

UnitedHealth Group Kicks Off Integrated Virtual-First Health Plan

by Kelsey Waddill

UnitedHealth Group has launched a virtual-first health plan with the goal of integrating in-person and virtual care. “By collaborating with Optum, UnitedHealthcare is developing a more...

Employer Health Benefits Spending Will Normalize in 2022

by Kelsey Waddill

In 2022, health benefits spending will return to normal, prepandemic levels in 2022 by increasing by an average of 4.7 percent over 2021 healthcare costs, employers anticipated in Mercer’s...

How Payers Can Cultivate Consumer-Centered Digital Innovation

by Kelsey Waddill

With the dawn of the virtual-first health plan and continued increases in healthcare consumerism, payers have found themselves in an age of consumer-centered digital innovation. Healthcare revenue...

Top 3 Member Engagement Benefits of Using Omnichannel Tools

by Kelsey Waddill

Omnichannel strategies are becoming increasingly significant to successful member engagement. What is omnichannel engagement? Omnichannel engagement is a strategy that originated as a sales and...

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