LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Telehealth visits have jumped nationwide since the onset of the pandemic. Between mid-March and mid-June, an estimated 9 million Medicare recipients relied on Telemedicine.

Data show among private insurers, telehealth visit claims increased by more than 4,000%. But now providers are pulling back from covering non-COVID-related virtual visits, and costs for patients are increasingly muddled. Some could even end up with surprise medical bills.

Tom Conroy, CEO of the health care technology company MedSign, explained why.

"They do not have safeguards. There's no safeguards in the system where they can actually tell if a Telehealth session occurred officially," Conroy said. "Last year in Florida there was fraudulent charges for Telehealth to the order of $1.2 billion. And the reason is, there's no controls in the system."

But denying access to Telehealth coverage could have major repercussions for rural states such as Arkansas, where transportation continues to be a barrier for patients seeking care, and where hospitals and providers have relied on Telehealth payments to stay afloat during the pandemic.

Conroy added in the long run, covering Telehealth visits could save the government Medicare dollars by encouraging preventive care.

"Seniors use 75% - 80% of all Medicare dollars," he said. "One of the reasons why is they go into the hospital, the minute they step over the emergency room doorway, it's $3,000. If they stay inside of hospital either in New York or in California, in Los Angeles, it's $17,000 a day. Extraordinary costs."

The American Medical Association and several lawmakers have voiced support for legislation that would increase access to telemedicine from all types of providers, as well as ensure Medicare coverage for virtual visits.



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ALBANY, N.Y. -- A new survey shows most New Yorkers approve of medical aid-in-dying legislation, and advocates for end-of-life autonomy said it is even more reason for the Legislature to pass the bill this session.

The poll shows about six in 10 New York voters, regardless of region, political party or race, support the bill, which would allow certain patients to request a prescription from a doctor to end the patient's life.

The Aid-in-Dying Act applies to people of sound mind who have a terminal illness and prognosis of fewer than six months to live.

Corinne Carey, senior New York campaign director for Compassion and Choices, says it is time New Yorkers have an end-of-life option.

"It's not taken longer than it normally does to pass a bill of this magnitude," Carey observed. "But it's taking too long, when you look at it from the perspective of people who are suffering at the end of life. They need this option today."

The new survey mirrors the results of a 2019 Siena College poll, which found 58% of New York voters in favor. Opponents have voiced moral concerns about a patient having the option to end their life early, and fear some might be coerced into doing so.

Asw. Amy Paulin, D-Scarsdale, said they are very close to moving it forward. Paulin has sponsored aid-in-dying legislation for several years, and thinks New York could see it through this year.

"When I first started, only Oregon made aid-in-dying possible for its citizens and residents," Paulin recounted. "And now, we have many states. So, it's changed, and I think that will influence New York to follow suit."

Across both houses, the legislation has 68 co-sponsors. Paulin thinks if the bill clears the Health and Codes committees, it would have enough support in the full Assembly to pass. The legislative session is set to resume in January.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Last month, a health researcher in the Washington, D.C., area gave CPR to a man suffering a heart attack on a local bike trail. Now he is using his experience to put a spotlight on World Restart A Heart Day on Saturday.

Bryan Buckley said he and a friend were biking when they saw a man in his late 60s drop to the ground. As a former lifeguard, he knew starting CPR quickly can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim's chance of survival.

"We were the first responders, and I looked to my buddy and said, 'You call 911,'" Buckley recounted. "And then the lifeguard in me, it all came back like it was yesterday. We ended up doing CPR, switching between three of us over about 15 to 20 minutes. And you know, in many ways, that ended up saving that man's life."

He emphasized bystander CPR is more important than ever because research shows survival of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest has dropped by 14% in 2020 compared with about 10% the year before. Go to Heart.org/HandsOnlyCPR to find out more about learning the life-saving procedure.

The Restart a Heart initiative aims to boost bystander CPR rates worldwide by encouraging folks to learn hands-only CPR. Buckley pointed out each year, more than 350,000 Americans experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital, and about 90% of them die.

"There's also the importance of making sure that when people do call 911 that we can have the folks on the phone be able to walk people through CPR," Buckley urged. "That's one of the things I've become very passionate about."

In 2020, the Virginia General Assembly passed a law requiring all state 911 dispatchers to complete telephone CPR education by July 2024.

The Commonwealth joins six other states, including Maryland, Louisiana and West Virginia, that require telephone CPR training for dispatchers. The American Heart Association is encouraging people to join them as advocates for this type of critical legislation in other states.

ALAMOSA, Colo. -- The Valley-Wide Ride, a transportation service introduced last year to help San Luis Valley residents get to health centers, is booking more rides than ever with the addition of a new wheelchair-accessible vehicle.

Evelyn Wiant, marketing projects specialist for Valley-Wide Health Systems, said the program has been key for reducing one of the biggest barriers to care. Because the area is so spread out, getting to a doctor's appointment can mean a 30- to 45-minute drive, each way.

"A significant portion of our patients live at or below the poverty line," Wiant explained. "They may not have transportation of their own, or they may be elderly and unable to transport themselves."

More than 20% of residents served by Valley-Wide live below the federal poverty level, and Wiant pointed out even if reliable public transportation was available, many residents wouldn't be able to pay for it.

Valley-Wide was able to make its fleet wheelchair-accessible thanks in part to a grant from San Luis Valley Health and NextFifty Initiative, a Colorado-based private foundation.

Chandra Matthews, director of programs for the Initiative, said its Community Response Fund is designed to get dollars out quickly so organizations serving older adults have more options.

"And these funds are really designed to meet those one-time, immediate needs," Matthews emphasized. "They did that for Valley-Wide health systems in that we helped them purchase a wheelchair-accessible vehicle."

The Valley-Wide Ride is free, and available to anyone in the Alamosa, Monte Vista, San Luis, Antonito, and Lower Arkansas Valley area. Wiant added the service is not limited to trips to and from the health center.

"In addition to getting you to your appointment with your medical provider, we can take you to any other kind of medical appointment," Wiant stressed. "We can also take you to destinations that are considered wellness-related. We can take you to the gym or the grocery store. We can take you to the laundromat."