Telehealth

Pharmacy discount provider GoodRx on March 24 launched its COVID-19 vaccine tracker, which offers information on vaccine inventory and appointment availability for more than 50,000 U.S. sites.

From making telemedicine more consumer friendly to increasing access to care during the pandemic, retail and tech giants including Amazon, Google and Best Buy are ramping up their virtual care initiatives and innovating the healthcare delivery system. 

Ro, a direct-to-consumer telehealth app for pharmacy services, completed a $500 million Series D financing round, it said March 23. 

Before 2020, few in the healthcare industry questioned the potential utility of telehealth. Its benefits were obvious, the technology itself was robust and well-developed — but all the same, it never quite hit mainstream adoption. Then COVID-19 changed everything.

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have invented a telehealth drone that can deliver lab tests, medicine and medical supplies in the country's most secluded regions, according to a March 15 article published by the university.

COVID-19-related telehealth rules for out-of-state providers may lead to unintended consequences such as fraud and limited patient access if made permanent, according to a recent Kaiser Health News analysis.

Hospitals and health systems across the U.S. scurried to launch and expand telehealth programs in March 2020. One year later, telehealth still holds a steady place in healthcare delivery, but its significance in the future is not set in stone.

FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel submitted a proposal this week to launch the second round of the FCC's $250 million COVID-19 telehealth program. 

UnitedHealthcare rolled out a new virtual care option for individuals needing hearing assessments or hearing aids, according to a March 18 news release.

Expanded solution automates pre-visit workflows to drive efficiencies in care delivery