TeleHealth utilization in Gastroenterology (GI) clinics amid Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic: Impact on clinical practice & GI training

Abstract

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) defines TeleHealth as services including office visits/consultations, delivered remotely by an eligible provider, using an interactive 2-way telecommunications system (audio+video).1 Prior to COVID-19, CMS paid for TeleHealth restrictively; however, emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in Waiver1135, extending these services to routine healthcare, to keep vulnerable beneficiaries in their homes, limit community viral spread, and prevent exposure to other patients and staff.1 This benefit was reciprocated by private insurance carriers. While these changes provided healthcare facilities an opportunity to rapidly adopt the remote healthcare delivery model, the uptake and challenges accompanying this practice change are largely unknown. We conducted a survey to assess the impact of TeleHealth adoption on clinical practice and GI training programs.