Telehealth in home healthcare faces setbacks amid lack of federal reimbursements

Many domestic health care authorities have adopted telehealth services during the COVID-19 Pandemie, but the absence of federal reimbursements for these services has led to an increasing number of providers that end these options, a national survey conducted by the University of California, Irvine and other institutions. Results are published in Research into health services.

The National Institute on Aging-Financed Study offers valuable insights into the role of TeleHealth in Home Healthcare, a fast-growing sector. As the population gets older and looking for alternatives to nursing homes, this field is expected to grow by 10 percent per year.

The findings of the survey highlight the urgent need for policies of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which has not reimbursed home care authorities for TeleHealth services, even during the pandemic.

Led from October 2023 to November 2024, the study 791 home care authorities asked, with a response percentage of 37 percent. It was aimed at companies that served a significant part of dementia patients, on average 33 percent of their customers. The results showed that only 23 percent of home health authorities had adopted TeleHealth in 2019. However, that number increased to 65 percent in 2021, mainly driven by the implementation of virtual visits to limit the transfer of diseases and to tackle staff and equipment shortages during the COVID-19 Pandemie. Nevertheless, 19 percent of adoption agencies had ended TeleHealth in 2024. The reasons that were cited for this include a lack of medicine compensation and concerns about the suitability of TeleHealth for home health care of older, less technically skilled patients.

This study is the first to give an extensive national picture of the TeleHealth process in Home Healthcare. Our findings suggest that without [Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services] Trust, many agencies can leave TeleHealth, possibly opportunities to improve healthcare and manage costs as a home health demand sky rockets. “

Dana B. Mukamel, corresponding author, UC Irvine Distinguished Professor or Medicine

The study showed that 33 percent of home care authorities never adopted TeleHealth, even during the pandemic, often in the conviction of the hands-on model of the sector. Virtual visits saw the largest adoption peak in 2020 (21.1 percent), but 22 percent of users had stopped them with around 2022. Among this group, 60 percent repeated concern about the suitability of the patient, while 55 percent emphasized the costs and the lack of reimbursement. Customer patient monitoring and surveys saw a smaller acceptance of smaller acceptance and similar stopping trends.

These patterns suggest that COVID-19 disrupted the natural diffusion of TeleHealth in the health care of home relocation, which received pre-Pandemic grip, with 23 percent approval by 2019. The study states that without the pandemic, teleightthe could be distributed as agencies recognized its benefits. However, the lack of reimbursement and perceptions of the limitations of TeleHealth for older adults is barriers for sustainable use.

Since the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regards TeleHealth allowance policy, the study requests rigorous evaluations of the cost-effectiveness of TeleHealth and patient results. With the expenditure for health care in home care that is expected to grow considerably, policy can improve care provision and manage the costs. The results also underline the need for future research to assess whether these trends maintain in all home health authorities, given the focus of the study on dementia-serving companies.

The study, co-author of experts from UC Irvine, UCLA, Brown University, the University of Minnesota and other institutions, is a crucial source for policy makers who navigate the future of home health care. While the nation is struggling with an aging population and rising care requirements, understanding the role of TeleHealth can shape effective, sustainable solutions.