Telehealth

UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Optum has deployed a new telehealth product across all 50 states, company leaders said April 15.

The FCC will begin accepting applications April 29 for the second round of its COVID-19 telehealth program.

A slew of telehealth companies including SOC Telemed, SteadyMD and Everly Health have hired in-house legal talent during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an April 15 Bloomberg report.

Health insurers Harvard Pilgrim, Kaiser Permanente and Priority Health each launched lower-cost, telehealth-first plans in 2020 and have reported varying rates of adoption, according to an April 15 NEJM Catalyst report. 

Kansas hospitals and physicians are urging state lawmakers to require payers to keep reimbursing telehealth services at the same rate as in-person services even after the pandemic ends, according to an April 13 High Plains Public Radio report.

Small physician practices view the rise in virtual care models, including telemedicine and other remote consultations, as a threat to their business, a new analysis published in the National Library of Medicine suggests.

The FDA is lifting restrictions on dispensing abortion pills by the mail, reversing a long-standing policy that they must be given to patients in person, according to an April 12 Politico article.

Digital healthcare company K Health is launching digital-first healthcare company Hydrogen Health, with funding provided by health insurer Anthem and investment group Blackstone Growth.

Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare plans to bolster its telehealth and digital care services by purchasing Classic Air Medical, an air medical transport company serving patients in eight states, the health system said April 12.

Since launching its telehealth pilot programs in 2013, Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare has expanded its virtual care program across its 25 hospitals and connected with 30 clinical partners.