Thirteen hospitals and health systems have opened or announced plans to launch new innovation centers and programs this year.

Across the U.S., mental health conditions were the No. 1 telehealth diagnosis in May, according to new data from Fair Health. 

Virginia on Aug. 5 became the first U.S. state to launch a COVID-19 tracking app built with Google and Apple's jointly developed exposure notification system, according to CNBC. 

Washington, Colorado, Nevada and Oregon governors announced Aug. 5 that the four states will work together to establish a guide of best practices supporting telehealth in their respective states. 

Cerner and investment firm LRVHealth invested $6 million in digital health startup Xealth as part of a new collaboration, according to an Aug. 6 announcement.

University of Chicago Medicine received a $20 million federal grant to support a new medical images database focused on COVID-19 patients, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Several issues are contributing to the state underreporting COVID-19 cases and deaths, California health secretary Mark Ghaly, MD, said on Aug. 4, according to The Press-Enterprise.

Health IT investment is still important, despite the new financial realities for health systems that lost millions or billions of dollars during the pandemic.

Hospitals across the country are looking to restore revenue after drops in patient volumes due to canceled or postponed nonemergency services led to reimbursement that is significantly lower than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Aug. 3 unveiled its violence data dashboard to track the scope, frequency and populations affected by violence in the state.