What a difference a month makes in a blazing healthcare market. ‘Neoinsurer’ Oscar Health went public on Tuesday, selling over 37 million shares at $39 each, reaping an eyeblinking $1.44 bn. While shares took a tumble on Wednesday and Thursday, closing at just above $32, the valuation of the company could be anywhere between $7.92 and $9.5 bn (calculating in options and the like). Quite a difference from the estimate in early February, which was a modest–and as now we know, totally sandbagged–$100 million [TTA 9 Feb]. A lovely payday for their backers and all at Oscar who had stock grants, indeed.

As we’ve seen from recent IPOs, they have all been underestimated (e.g. Signify Health’s $100 million filing transubstantiated into $561 million). The downward glide slope in share price is typical. Whether it will rise will depend very much on strong results for this quarter, half year, and full year as Oscar presses harder into the competitive Medicare Advantage, exchange, and small group markets. How they, and all the other payers do, will be dependent on health policy permutations and emanations from the DC Swamp. CNBC, TechCrunch, FierceHealthcare

Speaking of the DC Swamp, telehealth expansion is enjoying real traction in Congress and with Health and Human Services (HHS). The chair of the House Health Subcommittee, Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) has called for many of the flexibilities on payments and locations granted temporarily during the pandemic’s liberalization of coverage to be made permanent. These affect Medicare and other types of Federal payments. [Review of the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule re telehealth here]  They expire after the public health emergency (PHE), extended in January to end of April, so a clock is ticking, quickly.

The basics are that Congress must pass legislation that removes restrictions on geography (currently rural only) and permits the patient home to be used as a ‘distant site’. Advocates also want to add to Medicare telehealth coverage hospice and home dialysis care, more types of eligible care providers such as physical therapists and other allied health professionals, and audio-only (telephonic) consults. Others are pushing for reinstating HIPAA compliance for telehealth platforms.

The Telehealth Modernization Bill that covers most of the above was introduced on 23 February in both the Senate and House, in a rare show of both bipartisanship and bicamerality. (Excluded: telephonic consults, HIPAA compliance) Rep. Eshoo’s remarks were made during last Tuesday’s Committee on Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing.

HHS is also backing this, based on HHS’ Office of the Inspector General’s recent statement praising the expansion of telehealth. Recognizing that concerns have been raised about ‘telefraud’, IG Christi Grimm noted that they have been vigorously prosecuting fraudulent claims [TTA 2 Oct 20] with telehealth being used in a broad sense for billing other goods and services such as medications and durable medical equipment. FierceHealthcare, Healthcare Dive, ATA News 26 Feb

Speaking of telehealth visits, what do the patients do during them? This Editor had filed away, waiting for an opportune moment to share it, a surprising study by DrFirst, a mobile telehealth and communications platform. It was conducted online during the Pits of the Pandemic (June 2020). It may not surprise you that most patients weren’t fully engaged in the process. Bored, isolated, mostly male patients–73 percent men, 39 percent women–multitasked and distracted themselves during the virtual visit by: 

Surfing web, checking email, texting – 24.5%
Watching the news, TV, or movie – 24%
Scrolling through social media – 21%
Eating a snack or a meal – 21%
Playing a video game – 19%
Exercising – 18%
Smoking a cigarette – 11%
Driving a car – 10% (!!!!)

And the best….Having a “quarantini” cocktail or other alcoholic beverage – 9.4%

Reasons for consults were unsurprising: annual checkup – 38%, mental health therapy – 25%, and specialist visits (e.g., dermatologist, hematologist, or oncologist) – 21%.  N=1,002 US consumers. 44% of Americans Have Used Telehealth Services During Coronavirus Pandemic but Some Admit Not Paying Attention. Also Advisory Board blog.