Telehealth is investment priority for State Health Innovation plans

Health IT, in particular telehealth, is among the top projected investment areas by states participating in federally-funded State Health Innovation Plans.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has invested $960 million over 2013 and 2014 to support 25 states’ plans as part of the State Innovation Models initiative. These plans support state-based healthcare transformation.

States are spending dollars in health IT, according to a report from Accenture. For example, 19 states are seeking to expand use of virtual care technology, such as telehealth and remote monitoring. Some are focusing on improving reporting and evaluation of health data, for example, using geographic information systems (GIS) to match resources to hotspots of chronic disease, according to Accenture.

States also are investing in self-service tools. Fifteen states are offering patient portals and other digital tools to reduce administrative costs while improving self-care, expanding access to EHRs and information on value-based health choices and access to care delivery options.

Other top investment areas include patient-centered medical homes, low-cost labor models and all-payer claims databases.

“Integrating healthcare and human services—starting with the data they gather and the outcomes they achieve—will break down data silos to make operations and information more transparent and coordinated while aligning federal resources to eliminate gaps,” said Kaveh Safavi, MD, global managing director of Accenture’s health practice, in a statement.