DECEMBER 20218WILL DIGITAL MEDICINE FOLLOW SUIT IN THE RISE OF TELEHEALTHAs the pandemic pushed healthcare visits online this year, health systems experienced a dramatic rise in virtual patient encounters. At UCLA Health alone, the number of telehealth visits increased from 400 a month to nearly 60,000. This fundamental change in care delivery has expanded access for patients who otherwise may not have had access to physicians due to COVID-19. In fact, a McKinsey & Co study conducted in April reports that consumer adoption of telehealth has skyrocketed to nearly 50% of patient visits, up from a national average of 11%. As providers experience an unprecedented shift to telehealth, it remains to be seen if the momentum can carry digital medicine along in the undertow of the projected $250 billion U.S. telehealth spend.The cascade of events and policy changes at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Health and Human Services surrounding the expansion of coverage for telemedicine and allowance of cross-state licensing triggered a monumental shift to telehealth that is now accelerating the reliance on remote encounters. Providers must turn to remote monitoring tools, remote diagnostics, and digital drug delivery modalities to effectively facilitate patient care. To develop a framework to assess the adoption of digital medicines in a healthcare system that is stepping into a new era of decentralized care delivery, it is important to first coalesce on a definition for digital medicine or digital therapeutics (DTx).Professional organizations, such as the Digital Therapeutics Alliance,have taken the first steps to define the product class as "evidence-based therapeutic interventions to patients driven by high quality software programs to prevent, manage, or treat a broad spectrum of physical, mental, and behavioral conditions. "Digital therapeutics products have found initial market traction in the treatment of chronic conditions, where increased touchpoints through digital channels offer unparalleled patient access. Mental health has proved to be an early win for digital engagement, and this early market adoption has created the underlying infrastructure for those coping with social distancing and isolation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.AdvaMed is tackling one of the fundamental areas hindering the forward thrust of digital therapeutics. CMS has no defined benefit category for digital technology. Thus, in a sector that raised $5.4 billion in venture funding in the first half of 2020, digital health has yet to tackle one of the biggest challenges in the U.S. healthcare system: reimbursement. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has established guidance on digital technology, coverage for the Medicare population is still a jigsaw puzzle of codes for remote monitoring and durable medical equipment and associated supplies.While early adopters have signaled the coming digital transformation, health systems and providers are the linchpin for achieving sustainable and scalable prescribing patterns; they are the portal to the patients. A frontline framework is needed for digital therapeutics products so assessment and adoption can match the speed of the digital revolution. Jennifer McCaney, PhD, Executive Director at UCLA BiodesignByIn My Opinion
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