CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield will award $3 million to nonprofits or government organizations to develop new programs using telemedicine to improve health care access in the Maryland, Northern Virginia and D.C.
CareFirst’s request for proposals is looking for innovative programs that can address gaps in access to telemedicine services. The money will be awarded to programs over the next three years.
You can see its Expanding Access to Medical Care through Telemedicine application here.
“While increased utilization of telecommunications technology has enabled health care providers to better evaluate, diagnose and treat patients remotely, geographic disparities remain,” said Maria Tildon, CareFirst’s senior vice president of public policy and community affairs.
In 2013, CareFirst — the region’s largest health insurer — issued a similar call to expand telemedicine, and awarded $1.3 million to several organizations, including Associated Catholic Charities, Atlantic General Hospital, Sheppard Pratt Health System and La Clinica del Pueblo.
A recent National Business Group on Health survey found that three-quarters of large employers intend to offer health benefits that include telemedicine next year, up from about half this year.
Date: October 12, 2015