CMS Administrator Seema Verma Promotes Telehealth At UH Hospital Visit

Before the coronavirus pandemic, telehealth visits with doctors were limited for Medicare patients, primarily to those who live in rural areas.

But Medicare loosened regulations as COVID-19 cases increased, allowing more patients to access healthcare remotely, said Seema Verma, the Trump administration official who oversees the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Verma visited Cleveland on Thursday for a roundtable event at University Hospitals to speak with doctors about telehealth and treating vulnerable patients during the pandemic.

Telehealth is a way to make healthcare more affordable and accessible to everyone, she said.

"We've seen widespread adoption across the board," she said

University Hospitals doctors told her that seeing patients remotely has helped patients save time and kept them healthy during the pandemic.

The hospital used the example of augmented reality physical therapy, which is a technology-based way of bringing physical therapy to a person’s home.

UH doctors say kids are even more engaged with it because it’s like a game.

Verma also discussed how telehealth has been used in nursing homes, where there are many patients who are vulnerable to the virus. 

“Nursing home residents represent 1 percent of the population, but we’ve seen almost 50 percent of the deaths in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, so they’ve been hit really, really hard,” she said.

But telehealth allows those residents to access healthcare while keeping themselves safe from coronavirus exposure.