Telemedicine November 2021

TOPICS:

Posted By: Annmarie Budniak November 3, 2021

We are combining our Telemedicine and Virtual Care reports into Telemedicine News and Updates. We are seeking out the latest developments around Telemedicine. How is telemedicine used to benefit patients and care givers? What are the newest innovations in telemedicine technology? How telehealth and virtual care fit into the realm of Telemedicine.

Listen:

HealthcareNOW Radio Telehealth Playlist
The Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defines telehealth as “the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support and promote long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health and health administration.” To learn more and find out about the latest in telehealth tune in to the episodes on this playlist. Additionally, be sure to read HCNR’s Friday Five which recaps the site’s month long concentration on telehealth.

Product News:

SNC Telehealth Solutions Launched
Zane Networks, LLC (@zanenetworks), a healthcare transformation services and solutions company, and Safety Net Connect, Inc (SNC), a provider of innovative healthcare technology solutions, announced the collaborative launch of SNC Telehealth Solutions, an initiative aiming to transform the delivery of virtual care through expanding the reach of a clinician and patient’s care team.

Amwell’s Converge Virtual Care Platform Wins Industry Awards
Amwell® (@amwell), a national telehealth company, announced the general availability of Converge™ for EHRs, adding built in EHR integration capabilities to the Converge platform, alongside the standalone Amwell Now on Converge, which has been deployed in over 40 health systems. Converge is designed to offer a scalable, simple and unified digital care delivery experience across the care continuum. The announcement comes as Amwell wins a UCSF Health Award for Best New Application in Telehealth, a Tech Top 50 by the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council (MassTLC), and as Converge is called out as a driver behind Amwell being named Chilmark Research’s Flagship Vendor in Omnichannel Functionality.

Teladoc Health Reimagines Primary Care with Primary360
Teladoc Health (@teladochealth), a global company in whole-person virtual care, announced that its primary care service,
Primary360, is now available to commercial health plans, employers and other organizations that sponsor health care for individuals and families in the United States. Primary360 solves persistent challenges in access to high quality health care for millions of individuals, especially those who do not have an ongoing relationship with a primary care provider.

MobileSmith Health Enhances PeriOp Surgical Patient Management Solution for ASCs to Meet Nation’s Rising Demand for Outpatient Surgeries
MobileSmith Health (@TheMobileSmith), a company in the digital health and mobile development sector who is changing traditional healthcare patient engagement and adherence management, announced plans to enhance its PeriOp Surgical Patient Management Solution, designed to help Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASC) meet the growing demand for outpatient surgeries across the nation.

GlobalMed’s Transportable Exam Backpack Expands Imaging Option for Advanced Virtual Care Delivery
The Transportable Exam Backpack is a lightweight, mobile telehealth station offered by GlobalMed, an international provider of virtual health solutions. To provide expanded capabilities to their customers, GlobalMed (@globalmed_usa) announced the offering of a new configuration for the backpack which includes their best-in-class medical imager, the TotalExam® 3.2 camera. With the introduction of the new configuration, clinicians and medical professionals can choose either the TotalExam® Lite Camera and Otoscope or the newly offered TotalExam 3.2 Camera with an otoscope attachment.

Let’s Talk Interactive Rolls Out New Initiatives for Clergy in Support of Pastor Appreciation Month
Let’s Talk Interactive (@LetsTalkInter), a company in customizable telehealth solutions and provider of HIPAA-compliant telehealth software and hardware solutions, is supporting Pastor Appreciation Month with continued initiatives to assist clergy at this challenging time.

Industry News:

American Telemedicine Association Urges The Biden Administration To Provide Certainty For Telehealth Access Heading Into 2022
In a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) urged the Biden Administration to provide certainty for telehealth access heading into 2022. Specifically, the ATA is calling for Secretary Becerra to indicate the expected duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and recommends the PHE and its flexibilities continue at least through the end of the calendar year 2022.

Cigna Makes On-Demand Virtual Care Easier and More Convenient Through Expanded MDLIVE Services
Cigna Health Plan (@cigna) announced it is significantly expanding access to covered virtual care services for millions of customers. The expansion demonstrates the increased pace of innovation that is an early result of the acquisition of MDLIVE by Evernorth, Cigna’s health services business.

ATA Launches Initiative to Advance Role of Telehealth in Eliminating Health Disparities
The American Telemedicine Association (@AmericanTelemed) announced the launch and first phase of action in a new initiative to assess the applications of telehealth in addressing and eliminating health disparities in the U.S. Led by a team of leaders in diverse healthcare areas including providers, payers, community health organizations and policymakers, the new ATA CEO’s Advisory Group has worked to outline a new framework for eliminating health disparities that will be the foundation of ongoing strategic analysis and a series of policy recommendations in the months ahead.

Goodside Health Celebrates a Decade of Reimagining Pediatric Care
Goodside Health (@GoodsideHealth), a provider of in-school telehealth, virtual family care, and clinic-based pediatric urgent care, commemorates it’s 10-year anniversary this month by continuing to live its purpose of closing the gaps in children’s healthcare through innovation and execution.

ISeeYouCare, Inc. Announces New AI-Driven Personalized Virtual Care Solution for In-Home and In-Patient Medical Services Delivery
ISeeYouCare (@ISeeYouCare) in collaboration with CSI Engineering announces another advancement in patient care with the world’s first AI-driven Automated Voice using Speech Synthesis and Speech Recognition Virtual Assistant for in-home and in-patient care. The multi-faceted integrated system is comprised of six different software solutions and includes a user interface Android-based Tablet and an assortment of wearable physiological devices for the measurement of BP, Heart Rate, Blood Oxygen, ECG, Glucose, Lung Function (PEF/FEV1), Weight, A1C, Cholesterol (TC) and Activity.

Walmart and Global and Fortune 500 Companies Join Included Health Innovation Coalition to Address Health Disparities in the Black Community
Grand Rounds Health and Doctor On Demand (@drondemand), an integrated virtual care and navigation company, announced a solution designed to help remove barriers to care for the Black community. Developed using insights from an innovation coalition of Global and Fortune 500 companies, the product will be the first dedicated care concierge and healthcare navigation platform focused on improving the healthcare experience and advancing health equity for Black Americans.

Reliq Health’s Revenues Nearly Triple in Latest Quarter Exceeding $1.5 Million
Reliq Health’s (@ReliqHealth) management anticipates that 2022 will be a period of very rapid growth for the company due to Medicare’s continued expansion of the scope of their virtual care programs, and the increasing reimbursement amounts available to clinicians who use the company’s iUGO Care platform for their at-risk patients.

Making the Cut:

Amwell’s Converge Virtual Care Platform Wins Industry Awards
Amwell® (@Amwell), a national telehealth company, announced the general availability of Converge™ for EHRs, adding built in EHR integration capabilities to the Converge platform, alongside the standalone Amwell Now on Converge, which has been deployed in over 40 health systems. Converge is designed to offer a scalable, simple and unified digital care delivery experience across the care continuum. The announcement comes as Amwell wins a UCSF Health Award for Best New Application in Telehealth, a Tech Top 50 by the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council (MassTLC), and as Converge is called out as a driver behind Amwell being named Chilmark Research’s Flagship Vendor in Omnichannel Functionality.

Enghouse Vidyo Receives Award for Best Telemedicine Solution
Enghouse Vidyo announced that it has been named as the “Best Telemedicine Solution” at the Wellbeing and Quality of Life Awards granted by the newspaper La Razón.

Latest News from the FCC:

FCC Announces Third Set of Awards for COVID-19 Telehealth Round 2
The Federal Communications Commission (@FCC) approved an additional 71 applications for funding commitments totaling $40,468,845 for Round 2 of its COVID-19 Telehealth Program. This is the FCC’s third funding announcement of approved Round 2 applications bringing the total to approximately $123.6 million awarded to health care providers in each state, territory, and the District of Columbia.

To Read:

What to Avoid For Your Virtual Health Strategy to Succeed By Joel E. Barthelemy – Telehealth enthusiasts sometimes make the mistake of leaping into using a third-party Direct-to-Consumer app or buying a telehealth solution without defining their strategy. The typical result: a wasted investment and frustrated staff and patients.

Security Matters to Patients Using Telehealth by DrFirst (@DrFirst) – While the rise of telehealth’s popularity during the pandemic has revolutionized the healthcare industry, many people have concerns about the safety of their personal information and other security issues, according to a survey by healthcare technology pioneer DrFirst.

Telehealth.HHS.gov
During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, we don’t have to choose between medical care and social distancing. When patients can get health care through telehealth — and doctors can provide it — we protect ourselves and our communities. The Telehealth.HHS.gov website provides information about the latest federal efforts to support and promote telehealth services.

The American Telemedicine Association Events
ATA is a non-profit association based in Washington DC with a membership network of more than 10,000 industry leaders and healthcare professionals. We are a leading telehealth association helping to transform healthcare by improving the quality, equity and affordability of healthcare throughout the world. Find their next event.

Defining the Industry According to the AAFP:

Telemedicine is the practice of medicine using technology to deliver care at a distance. It occurs using a telecommunications infrastructure between a patient (at an originating or spoke site) and a physician or other practitioner licensed to practice medicine (at a distant or hub site).

Virtual Care is a patient service model for healthcare providers.

Telehealth refers to a broad collection of electronic and telecommunications technologies that support health care delivery and services from distant locations. Telehealth technologies support virtual medical, health, and education services.

Hashtags to follow for updates on Telemedicine:

Upcoming Events

calendarblueup-200

ATA Edge Policy Conference (@AmericanTelemed)

What: ATA EDGE Policy Conference
When: January 12, 19, 26, and February 2,2021
Where: Four Week Series of Virtual Events
Register Now.

The ATA EDGE Policy Conference will focus on the latest state and federal telehealth policies and temporary waivers put in place in response to COVID-19, and the strategies to make access to telehealth permanently available following the public health emergency. This four-week virtual series of two-hour sessions, January 12, 19, 26, and February 2, will convene thought leaders, policymakers, and pundits to discuss post-election perspectives, explore the implications for telehealth, and highlight the modalities that can bridge the gap for vulnerable populations, rural communities, and deliver quality care when and where it’s needed.

5th Annual ConV2X 2021 Symposium

What: ConV2X 2021 “Driving Telehealth & Technology: Blueprint for a New Digital Health Era”
When: November 9 – 11, 2021
Where: Virtual
Twitter: #ConV2X
Register Now.

ConV2X 2021 “Driving Telehealth & Technology: Blueprint for a New Digital Health Era” – Focusing on health policy, telehealth and virtual care, blockchain and edge technologies, ConV2X 2021 is the premier destination community identifying new and cost effective paths forward through real world evidence, strategy, operations, research & trends.

ATA2022 Annual Conference & Expo (@AmericanTelemed)

What: ATA2022 Annual Conference & Expo
When: May 1-3, 2022
Where: In Person Boston, MA
Register Now.

ATA2022 will showcase a mix of practical applications of telehealth – from preventative and primary care to behavioral health and other areas of specialty care — and hands-on workshops, mixed with luminary vision of important next steps for telehealth’s future.