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.
The HIMSS conference returns to in-person this August. With a demand for healthcare and healthcare technology in a digital world, the telehealth conversation is ever-evolving. ICYMI be sure to read our Telemedicine 2021: Special Report HIMSS 21 post on HealthcareNOW Radio and join the discussion so you can plan and prepare for what’s next at HIMSS21.
Product News:
CAIRE Introduces myCAIRE Telehealth Solution
CAIRE Inc. (@CAIRE_Inc), pioneers of the portable oxygen concentrator and the only global manufacturer covering the entire continuum of care for the oxygen patient, announced the US launch of its next-generation telehealth solution – myCAIRE™ — at its corporate headquarters and Respiratory Center of Excellence.
InterSystems Launches TrakCare® 2021 as a Foundation for Virtual Care Innovation
InterSystems, a creative data technology provider dedicated to helping customers solve the most critical scalability, interoperability, and speed problems, has announced the availability of the latest version of its TrakCare® Unified Healthcare Information System, T2021. The latest TrakCare update responds to the increasing demand for telehealth and virtual care with the introduction of integration with InterSystems HealthShare® Personal Community, a comprehensive, cross-EMR patient portal.
Industry News:
VeeMed and Voyce Partnership Brings Real-Time Language Interpretation to Telehealth Visits
VeeMed (@VeeMedInc), a provider of a Virtual Care as-a-Service (VCaaS) for the full continuum of healthcare, and Voyce, a technology company that provides Video Remote Interpretation (VRI), announced that Voyce medically-trained interpreters will now be available for doctor-to-patient video calls made on the VeeMed telehealth platform.
Spiras Health Receives $14MM Series B Funding, Led by NEA
Spiras Health, a provider of in-home and virtual healthcare solutions for patients with complex chronic conditions, announced a $14MM Series B funding round led by NEA (@NEA), with participation from existing investors Altitude Ventures, FCA Venture Partners, and other strategic investors. The company will leverage the financing for new market launches, sales and marketing team build, R&D with technological development and strengthening its management team.
Reliq Health Technologies, Inc. Announces Three New Contracts with Home Health Agencies in Texas
Reliq Health Technologies Inc. (@ReliqHealth), a global telemedicine company that develops innovative Virtual Care solutions for the Healthcare market, announced that it has signed three new contracts with home health agencies in Texas to provide its iUGO Care platform to their chronic disease patients.
State News:
Free Mental Health Telemedicine Services for Rural Hawaiʻi
Big Island Now reports that as the state begins to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, Hawaiʻi UTelehealth, a free health service tool developed by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM), is reminding the public its behavioral health telemedicine program is still available for neighbor island residents.
Pager® Launches Next-Generation Nurse Triage, Care Navigation in Puerto Rico for Triple-S
Pager (@getpager), a virtual care collaboration platform, announced it will deliver nurse triage and care navigation services to Triple-S members.
Policy News:
Cheney Introduces Bill That Would Relax Telehealth Regulations Permanently
Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney introduced the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act of 2021 with Michigan Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell. The bill is designed to keep telehealth accessible and easy for providers and their patients.
Virtual care becomes a common cause in a divided Congress
Lawmakers are lining up to decide what Medicare will pay for after the pandemic is over, with sponsors of a leading Senate plan confident they have the votes to include it in a must-pass piece of legislation this year.
HHS ‘absolutely supportive’ of permanent telehealth provisions after pandemic, Secretary Xavier Becerra says
According to Becker’s Hospital Review HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra voiced his support for permanent telehealth expansions and reducing access barriers after the pandemic ends during The Washington Post’s June 24 virtual event on digital health.
Reports and Surveys:
Nearly All Patients Using Telehealth for Mental Health Care Want to Keep Doing So
As the world shut down from the COVID-19 pandemic, it significantly impacted patients’ mental health and how they connected with their healthcare providers. A new survey by health technology pioneer DrFirst (@DrFirst) examined this impact on 1,000 Americans who had accessed mental health services in the previous year, revealing that over two-thirds feel the pandemic made their mental health worse, and most want to continue using telehealth for mental health visits.
New Data: MDLIVE Reports Virtual Primary Care Closes Critical Gaps in Care Among Disengaged Patients, Chronic Disease Sufferers
Propelled by a surge in consumer demand for telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, MDLIVE (@MDLIVEInc) released new data revealing that virtual primary care services – annual wellness exams and other routine visits with primary care doctors via telehealth – are gaining substantial traction in the United States.
To Read:
Offering integrated behavioral health care via telehealth a win-win from AMA (@AmerMedicalAssn) Blog – And as discussed at a recent AMA clinical case study webinar, when you can make telehealth services part of your integrated behavioral health care model, it only enhances the services that can be offered and expands the reach physicians have to patients who otherwise wouldn’t be able to easily access mental and behavioral health services.
The Benefits of Telehealth May Extend Post-Pandemic from AARP – After over a year of living in a pandemic world, Americans have grown accustomed to telehealth appointments. In a recent survey by Sykes, 87.82% of Americans surveyed want to continue using telehealth services for non-urgent appointments after the COVID-19 pandemic has passed. Additionally, nearly 80% said that they believe it is possible to receive quality healthcare through a telehealth visit.
Telehealth: How to bring warmth to your virtual care visits by Tanya Albert Henry on AMA – Study after study has shown that patients and physicians alike have mostly positive things to say about virtual visits during the pandemic. But as the U.S. health care system remakes itself into one that includes more virtual visits, how can physicians maintain the empathy and “human touch” that are so crucial to a strong patient-physician relationship?
Why Telehealth is a Lifeline for Primary Care Physicians by Joel E. Barthelemy, GlobalMed (@globalmed_usa) – Primary care physicians are the frontline of healthcare. Though other specialists and providers may come and go, it’s the PCP who often becomes the most consistent and trusted healthcare expert in a patient’s life. At the same time, both PCPs and the patients who need them face many challenges – and now both are finding that telemedicine may be the answer.
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.
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
Telehealth Awareness Week
What: First-Annual Telehealth Awareness Week
When: September 19-25. 2021
Where: Series of Virtual Events
The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) will convene leaders in telehealth service delivery, hospital systems and medical practices, patient advocacy organizations, policymakers and other stakeholders during the first-annual Telehealth Awareness Week™, September 19-25, 2021. During the week, the ATA will host a series of events, publish educational resources and share patient and healthcare provider experiences that support the permanent adoption of telehealth as part of a two-channel care delivery system that combines in-person and virtual care.