Telemedicine News & Updates 3-7-2018

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Posted By: Annmarie Budniak March 7, 2018

Honeywell Incorporates Integrated Video Capability into Telehealth Platform Allowing Healthcare Professionals to Treat Patients in their Own Homes
Honeywell (@Honeywell), a Connected Home solutions provider, announced that their telehealth software platform, LifeStream, will feature fully integrated video communication that will enable individuals with chronic conditions to meet with their doctors and nurses face to face without having to leave their homes. It will help healthcare professionals improve the care for their patients, reduce hospital readmissions and streamline their clinical workflows.

TeleHealth Services and Healthwise Partner to Develop Microlearning Strategy Using AI-Driven Avatars
TeleHealth Services (@TeleHealth_Svcs), the nation’s leading provider of interactive patient engagement solutions, and Healthwise are combining the power of microlearning content and the industry’s first and only patient engagement and education system driven by responsive artificial intelligence. Healthwise, which develops patient education to help people make better health decisions and take a more active role in their health, is working with TeleHealth Services to integrate microlearning education content, including audio discussion scripts and videos, with iCare Navigator’s virtual health coaches.

Avera Health achieves significant cost savings and improved patient outcomes in rural areas with Philips eICU program
Ahead of the 2018 Annual Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Conference, Royal Philips, a global leader in health technology, announced the Philips eICU program has helped Avera Health (@averahealth), a South Dakota-based integrated health system, enhance care quality and efficiency by partnering to deliver significant clinical and financial outcomes through the ICU division of their telemedicine program, Avera eCARE®. The Avera eCARE ICU program results achieved in the last 12 months demonstrate the benefits of leveraging innovative, decision-support technology to help deliver high quality care across rural populations, while minimizing gaps in care. Avera eCARE ICU currently monitors 36 hospitals in nine states across the country.

Joslin Diabetes Center and American Well® To Collaborate on Integrating Telehealth To Improve Diabetes Care and Outcomes
Joslin Diabetes Center, the world’s preeminent diabetes care and research center, and American Well, the leading U.S. telehealth provider, announced a collaboration to explore how to best use telemedicine to treat diabetes in the United States – and eventually, around the world.

Purdue study uses telehealth to help identify autism markers for babies and young toddlers
A long-distance telehealth study at Purdue University could help researchers identify autism symptoms in infancy, which could ultimately help children receive targeted therapy earlier.

Specialists On Call Announces Corporate Name Change to SOC Telemed, Launches Telemed IQ as Enterprise Telemedicine Platform
Specialists On Call (@SOCTelemed), the leader in acute care telemedicine, announced it has changed its corporate name to SOC Telemed (SOC). The new brand reflects the company’s broad range of telemedicine expertise and its commitment to improving clinical, operational and financial outcomes for healthcare organizations in a measurable way.

Cannabis Tech Startup HelloMD Raises $7M to Fund Health & Wellness Platform Expansion
HelloMD (@HelloMD_com) began as a broadly focused telemedicine startup but has evolved into a consumer-focused information platform operating solely in the cannabis space. Cofounder and CEO Mark Hadfield spoke with New Cannabis Ventures about his company’s recent funding round, the value the platform provides its user base and his ambitions to build a brand with global reach and recognition.

Congress Proposes Change to Ryan Haight Act to Allow Telemedicine Prescribing of Controlled Substances
It seems the efforts of telemedicine advocates to change federal law and allow greater prescribing of controlled substances are no longer falling on deaf ears. Congress just released a pair of draft discussion bills to amend the federal Ryan Haight Act. The “Improving Access to Remote Behavioral Health Treatment Act” would allow certain community mental health centers and addiction treatment centers to obtain DEA registration as a clinic, thereby allowing telemedicine providers to prescribe controlled substances to patients present at those sites without the need for an in-person examination.

Teladoc Announces Expanded Collaboration with Microsoft
Teladoc, Inc. (@Teladoc), provider of virtual care delivery services, announced its expanded collaboration with Microsoft. The organizations will be working together to advance the delivery of telehealth, with Teladoc’s platform running on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. As a result of the joint go-to-market strategy, hospitals and health systems across the U.S. will have greater access to the virtual care solution to meet their business needs.

Teladoc Earns Surescripts Certification for Medication History Services
Teladoc, Inc., provider of virtual care delivery services, announced that it has been certified as a trusted partner of Surescripts,® the nation’s leading health information network. With this certification Teladoc expands its e-prescribing relationship with the organization, enabling Teladoc physicians to access the Surescripts Medication History and Eligibility & Formulary services. Real-time medication history validation and prescription benefit access at the time of consultation gives Teladoc physicians greater data insights that ultimately lead to improved medication adherence, reduced risk of potential adverse drug interactions, and lower prescription costs for patients.

In State and Local News:

Cabarrus County Ambulances to be Outfitted with Telemedicine Technology
North Carolina’s Cabarrus County EMS will soon be bringing telemedicine video technology from Medris Healthcare Solutions into the ambulances to allow physicians the ability to be up to date on a patient and their chart before they even get to the emergency room.

Pilot program at Naval Hospital Jacksonville allows virtual visits for patients
Some patients at Naval Hospital Jacksonville in Florida are getting the medical attention they need without stepping foot in a doctor’s office. Instead of missing work and fighting traffic to see a physician, they can now have face-to-face meetings with doctors through their phones, tablets and computers. The hospital is conducting a pilot program for the Navy that makes virtual visits a reality using a new application called Navy Care. It’s as easy as downloading the application on a device and registering through the hospital. Right now it’s limited to specific areas of care; and it’s also in the early stages of the roll out.

The Virtual Doctor Can See You Now
Out-of-state telemedicine companies wasted no time offering their services in Arkansas after a law went into effect in August that eased restrictions in the way telemedicine is delivered in the state. Arkansas’ rules for telemedicine were once considered among the most restrictive in the country. Last year, however, the Arkansas Legislature amended the state’s telemedicine law governing the way virtual care is delivered. The law now allows patients to receive telemedicine services wherever they happen to be, rather than having to visit a health care facility.

Telehealth brings more accessible mental health services to rural Nebraska
In the midst of a technological era, hospitals are changing the way people receive mental health services that have been around for years. An effective use of technology, telehealth, is a form of communication via the computer which health professionals are using to reach patients all over the United States. Richard Young Behavioral Health Center in Kearney has around 20 percent of patients using the service.

Upcoming Events:

ATA 2018 Annual Conference & Tradeshow
What: ATA 2018 Annual Conference & Tradeshow
When: April 29 – May 1, 2018
Where: Chicago, IL
Event Hashtag: #ATA18

SPS 2018
What: Telemedicine & Telehealth Service Provider Summit (SPS)
When: October 8-9, 2018
Where: Glendale, AZ

CMS Covered Telehealth Services
You can download the list of services payable under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule when furnished via telehealth on the CMS website.

Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP)
The Center for Connected Health Policy (@CCHPCA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to maximize telehealth’s ability to improve health outcomes, care delivery, and cost effectiveness. Follow CCHP for the latest in telehealth policy and news.