Digital Medicine Society's Virtual First Care Initiative, IMPACT, Launches Payer-Virtual First Care Contracting Toolkit

Industry stakeholders provide essential resources to broaden adoption of virtual first care

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Sep 29, 2021, 07:00 ET

BOSTON, Sept. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, IMPACT - the virtual first care (V1C) initiative co-hosted by the Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) and American Telemedicine Association - introduced the P ayer-V1C C ontracting Toolkit. The Toolkit provides a fit-for-purpose guide that can be used when contracting with V1C solutions, offering a vital resource to accelerate the adoption of V1C and thus improve outcomes, access, and patient experience. A public meeting for industry leaders in virtual care will detail the Toolkit and accompanying resources on October 1, 2021.

V1C is medical care for individuals or a community accessed through digital interactions where possible, guided by a clinician, and integrated into a person's everyday life. In the midst of a global pandemic that has forced millions of healthcare professionals to become increasingly virtual, V1C became both a vital and winning approach. As a result, the industry has begun to recognize when healthcare is built around the patient, not the clinic, a new caliber of experience, efficiency, and quality can be provided.

To establish V1C as a new standard of care that is accessible at scale, third-party payer reimbursement for these solutions is critical. However, existing payer processes have not been able to keep pace with the rapid V1C innovations, and V1C solutions do not fit into the traditional contracting structures.

IMPACT's Payer-V1C Contracting Toolkit offers a suite of action oriented resources, such as a Guide to Payer-V1C Contracting, a Guide to V1C Payment Models and a V1C Coding Library that highlights V1C-reimbursable codes. The Toolkit will support alignment between payer systems and processes supporting new modalities of care to facilitate contracting and ultimately drive more effective adoption of V1C.

"We have an unprecedented opportunity to scale V1C as an option for all patients," says Claire Meunier, COO at DiMe. "Yet there is currently a critical friction point: payers need to be able to contract with V1C solutions as easily as they can contract with providers and vendors. Aligning payer systems and contracting processes will drive more deals and continue the expansion of V1C. Without this, V1C's promise risks being limited to direct-to-patient or only the most progressive self-insured employer models, falling woefully short of its potential."

"Our usual contracting approaches require us to classify a solution for contracting as a provider or a vendor, and we work through many revisions to make the contract fit what the V1C solution is offering and to pay for V1C services," describes Marcus Thygeson, Chief Health Officer at Bind Benefits. "IMPACT's work on the Payer-V1C Contracting Toolkit provides a third path payers can take, and presents an opportunity for more effective contracting as we lean into the V1C category."

"We are excited to get this resource out into the field," says Sean Duffy, Co-Founder and CEO of Omada Health. "Since Omada contracted with its first customer in 2013, we've been working with our customers to effectively contract as a V1C provider. This Payer-V1C Contracting Toolkit builds on that, and provides a valuable resource for virtual-first companies and payers alike. By using this Toolkit, we can all focus on the real reason V1C is here – to serve patients with solutions that work."

To learn more, visit impact.dimesociety.org or attend the public meeting on October 1, 2021 which will detail the Toolkit and accompanying resources.

About IMPACT: Hosted by the Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) and the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), vIrtual first Medical PrActice CollaboraTion ("IMPACT") is a pre-competitive collaboration of leading digital health companies, investors, payers, and consultants dedicated to supporting virtual-first medical organizations and their commitment to patient-centric care. To become a member, visit impact.dimesociety.org to learn more and inquire today.

About the Digital Medicine Society: The Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) is the professional society serving the digital medicine community, driving scientific progress and broad acceptance of digital medicine to enhance public health. At DiMe, our commitment to fully integrating experts from all of the disciplines comprising digital medicine is unwavering. From regulators to white-hat hackers, ethicists to engineers, and clinicians to citizen scientists, we are proud to welcome all experts committed to ensuring that digital medicine realizes its full potential to improve human health. Join us!

About the ATA: As the only organization completely focused on advancing telehealth, the American Telemedicine Association is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to safe, affordable, and appropriate care when and where they need it, enabling the system to do more good for more people. The ATA represents a broad and inclusive member network of leading healthcare delivery systems, academic institutions, technology solution providers and payers, as well as partner organizations and alliances, working to advance industry adoption of telehealth, promote responsible policy, advocate for government and market normalization, and provide education and resources to help integrate virtual care into emerging value-based delivery models. @americantelemed #telehealthishealth #ATApolicy

Media Contact: Jamie Gray, [email protected], 310.699.3163

SOURCE Digital Medicine Society (DiMe)