When demand for telemedicine skyrocketed during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare leaders scrambled for solutions. Organizations that hadn’t seriously considered telemedicine before were suddenly making it a priority; they jumped in with teleconferencing platforms, promoted their services to the public, and urged physicians to get on board. State legislatures passed payment-parity laws to
ensure greater access and reimbursement.

One of the offshoots of the coronavirus pandemic has been a surge in both awareness and use of telemedicine services. Published estimates suggest that the use of telemedicine during the early days of the outbreak in the United States soared to anywhere from 20 to nearly 80 times what it had been during comparable time periods the year before. This boom was aided by federal regulatory waivers that expanded physician reimbursements for Medicare-related telemedicine services and temporarily suspended penalties for failing to adhere to certain telemedicine protocols.

PHYSICIANS INSURANCE

Community Eldercare, d.b.a. St. Paul’s PACE
San Diego, CA

Arizona Children's Risk Solutions
Phoenix, AZ

Diabetes and Obesity Care LLC
Bend, OR

Heart Central of Washington PLLC
Yakima, WA

mmMedical Group LLC
Boise, ID

We've all done it. 

Received an insurance policy and immediately filed it away without so much as peeking at it. It’s understandable—insurance policies can be intimidating. But your insurance policy contains some important information to understand. And it doesn’t have to be daunting to read, if you understand the basics of a policy.

Board diversity is a hot topic right now, especially as more states consider mandating it for publicly traded corporations.

California was the first state to require gender diversity—now, public companies headquartered in the state must have at least one female member. California Gov.

A physician who spent their formative years in another culture. A nurse originally from a rural, impoverished background. A payroll specialist with a disability not visible to the trained eye.

All of these people are valuable members of today’s healthcare workforce. Yet they might not be hired or treated equitably on the job.

Project Access Northwest is transforming access to healthcare in Washington State.

When Seattle pulmonologist Dr. Manika Jamwal prepared to meet her new patient, she scanned her file, read the recent office notes, and reviewed lab and imaging results. Then she entered the exam room and greeted Janelle,* a 41-year-old mother of two with concerns about unusual chest pain.

Our online education, provided by Relias Learning, is available to members and their staff at no additional cost (for most policy types). We offer hundreds of courses, ranging from :30 to :90 in duration, and many of them award continuing-education credit. 

Visit phyins.com/education or medchoicerrg.com/education—depending on your policy type—to browse by category and topic, or search with a specific term.

And how fast can you act on it?

The Emergency Department prided itself on its stroke care, especially as it raced to serve the increasing number of stroke patients due to COVID-19.

Consider this real-life scenario: the medical director of an emergency department dug into the data to understand her department’s response time—33 minutes from arrival to treatment, slightly above the national average and remaining stable despite the pandemic surge.

—and Why You Should Care

Ethics, liability, and financials are all in play as healthcare organizations consider their role in addressing disparities. A person’s health—and the quality of care they receive—shouldn’t depend on their skin color, ZIP Code, level of education, or income. Yet for many Americans, these disparities are real.