How is telemedicine used to benefit patients and care givers? What are the newest innovations in telemedicine technology? How do telehealth and virtual care fit into the realm of Telemedicine? We have our finger on the pulse and are striving to report the latest developments around telemedicine.
Industry News:
New Study in JAMA Shows Telehealth Slowed Opioid Overdoses During Pandemic
The American Telemedicine Association (@AmericanTelemed) and ATA Action issued the following statement in response to today’s publication of a study authored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This study, published online in JAMA Psychiatry, examined the impact of telehealth services for substance use disorder treatment and the provision of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) among Medicare beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Internal memo: Amazon Care to shut down, ‘not a complete enough offering’ for corporate customers
Recently GeekWire reported that Amazon will stop offering its Amazon Care primary health-care services at the end of this year, according to an internal memo, after determining that it wasn’t “the right long-term solution for our enterprise customers.” Amazon Care launched in 2019 as a pilot program for employees in the Seattle area, where Amazon is headquartered. Last year it expanded to non-Amazon employees across the nation. It is a hybrid of virtual, in-home primary care and urgent care services, without brick-and-mortar clinics or physical locations.
SOC Telemed Expands Behavioral Health Offering with Acquisition of Forefront Telecare; Company Renamed Access TeleCare
SOC Telemed, a national provider of specialty acute care telemedicine, announced its acquisition of Forefront Telecare, a virtual behavioral health company serving vulnerable adults nationwide across the care continuum. The acquisition significantly expands SOC Telemed’s existing behavioral health offering, provider network, and clinical capabilities. Following the acquisition and reflecting the critical role the company plays in providing access to care nationally, SOC Telemed is renamed Access TeleCare (@AccessTeleCare). Forefront Telecare will operate as an Access TeleCare company focused on behavioral health.
Equum and CLEW Join Forces on Telehealth Services in Acute Critical Care
Equum Medical (@equumm) has added CLEW Medical’s cloud-based Tele-ICU platform to its ecosystem of technology partners that help it deliver virtual critical care services. The partnership will drive greater clinician efficiency in providing intensive care, an area that many hospitals are struggling with as a result of rising patient acuity and pandemic-related staffing shortages.
TytoCare, Vivaz and Nebula Partner to Bring Innovative Virtual Care to Spain
TytoCare (@TytoCare), the global healthcare industry’s first all-in-one modular device and examination solution for AI-powered, remote physical exams, announced a partnership with Vivaz, the health insurance brand of Línea Directa Aseguradora, a healthcare insurer in Spain, to bring the TytoCare solution to the Spanish market. Vivaz will integrate TytoCare into its current offering, enabling clinic-quality primary care from anywhere, at any time. TytoCare will be distributed by Nebula-VPC, a major healthcare distributor in the Spanish market.
Bluestream Health Provides West Cecil Health Centers in Maryland with Rapid Response Workflow to Initiate Quick and Easy Virtual Care
Bluestream Health (@bluestream), a virtual care Platform-as-a-Service, has enabled access to virtual care for patients at West Cecil Health Centers (WCHC). The two federally qualified health centers, located in Maryland, use Bluestream Health’s Rapid Response workflow to help initiate telehealth calls for behavioral health, dental work, and primary care. WCHC also uses Bluestream Health’s virtual care solution for enrollment and outreach to assist patients with finding the best plan to cover their healthcare needs.
Amwell Underscores Commitment to Driving Positive Impact with Environmental, Social and Governance Framework
Amwell®, (@amwell) a digital care delivery leader, announced the release of its inaugural Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) Framework. The Framework provides insight into the Company’s business, across three key areas: people, products, and operations, as viewed through an ESG lens.
Eagle Telemedicine Enhances Health Access for Rural Communities with Broadened NRHA Relationship
Eagle Telemedicine (@EagleTelemed), a company in technology-enabled inpatient care for sustainable healthcare resilience, announced that it has renewed its support for the National Rural Health Association (NRHA). Focused on its mission to expand access to healthcare for all communities, particularly those in vulnerable rural areas, Eagle is reinforcing its support to NRHA in an effort to contribute to solutions to bridge the care access gap.
Reliq Health Technologies, Inc. Announces New Contract in Florida to Onboard over 50,000 Patients
Reliq Health Technologies Inc. (@ReliqHealth), a global healthcare technology company that develops innovative Virtual Care solutions for the multi-billion dollar Healthcare market, announced that it has signed a new contract with a physician practice network in Florida to onboard over 50,000 patients to its iUGO Care platform by the end of 2023.
Remote Patient Monitoring:
Rimidi and Boston Medical Center Release Metrics from Ongoing Remote Monitoring Program for Postpartum Hypertension
Rimidi (@Jointherimidi), a clinical management platform designed to optimize clinical workflows, enhance patient experiences and achieve quality objectives, and Boston Medical Center, a private, not-for-profit academic medical center in New England, released metrics from an ongoing remote patient monitoring program for new moms at high-risk of postpartum hypertension.
Teladoc Health & Cloud DX Partner in Canada to Enhance Remote Monitoring Solutions for Patients Across the Country
Teladoc Health (@teladochealth) a global whole-person virtual care company, together with Cloud DX, a remote patient monitoring platform, are pleased to announce that they have entered into a strategic partnership to better serve the remote monitoring needs of patients across Canada.
Product News:
Summus Introduces Summus Oncology: A New Personalized Virtual Support Model for Cancer
Summus (@SummusGlobal), a virtual specialist platform, announced Summus Oncology, a new approach that provides personalized specialty virtual care support to help employees and their families across all stages of their cancer journey.
Announcing SOC 2 Type II Certification – VSee’s Commitment to Protecting Patient Privacy, Data and PHI
VSee (@VSee) has recently reinforced its commitment to security and data protection by becoming SOC 2 Type II certified. The company has always put a premium on data privacy and this independent 3rd party certification validates its high standards in this area as it continues to be the most trusted HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform.
Policy News:
ATA and ATA Action Co-Lead Letter to the U.S. Senate Signed by Over 370 Stakeholder Organizations Seeking Permanency for Telehealth
The American Telemedicine Association (@AmericanTelemed) and ATA Action co-led letter signed by 375 stakeholders urging the Senate to act this fall to ensure certainty for telehealth services. The letter asks the Senate to pass a two-year extension of the flexibilities and waivers allowing temporary access to telehealth put in place under the current public health emergency (PHE), while continuing to push for a permanent extension.
To Read:
Virtual Nurses are Combatting Adversity for Rural Healthcare Services by Team VidyoHealth (@vidyo) – Countless studies on the impact of telehealth and virtual nurses have emphasized the assumption that it enhances safety for both patients and providers. There is also the opportunity to expand services without geographical limitations and enhance care services in rural communities. Due to the few specialists located in rural areas, telemedicine has the potential to resolve countless hurdles these communities face for even basic healthcare services.
With telehealth, Veterans can access care when and where they need it by the VA Blog – Last year, more than 2.3 million Veterans used telehealth to access VA care. VA is leading the way, allowing Veterans to access care when and where they need it. In honor of Telehealth Awareness Week, here are four ways that Veterans can use telehealth as part of their VA care plan.
To 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.
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:
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.
Upcoming Events
ATA2023 Annual Conference & Expo (@AmericanTelemed)
What: ATA’s 2022 EDGE Policy Conference
When: December 7-9, 2022
Where: Park Hyatt, Washington, DC.
The ATA EDGE Policy Conference will convene a diverse group of changemakers to explore the latest state and federal telehealth policies as our industry prepares for the critical next steps that we must take to avoid the telehealth cliff.
What: ATA2023 Annual Conference & Expo
When: March 5-7, 2023
Where: San Antonio, TX
Become a sponsor.
The ATA2023 Annual Conference & Expo is the “event of record” in virtual care providing a platform to reach thousands of decision-makers in the telehealth industry around the world. ATA2023 will be covering ALL of the most important issues in telehealth. As you can imagine, ATA is receiving very strong demand given the amplification of Telehealth and Virtual Care. Organizations are already underway selecting their event participation, so don’t delay if you want to join.