Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, trends showed increased interest in the use of telehealth services by healthcare professionals and patients.

Amazon Alexa launched a new feature Nov. 11 to help caregivers better monitor seniors who opt to age in place rather than move into nursing homes or assisted care facilities, according to CNBC.

Ignis Health, an analytics platform that measures virtual care program efficiency, recently licensed a telehealth implementation model roadmap from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

As the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, Cleveland Clinic decided it must adjust the role of team-based care in the new shift to telemedicine, according to Kevin Hopkins, MD, primary care medical director at the health system.

Most physicians (93 percent) have participated in the rapid virtual care adoption brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic this year, but big challenges still remain for their continued usage.

A team of College Station-based Texas A&M University researchers is building an autonomous van equipped with telehealth technologies to help deliver care to patients lacking transportation options, according to local CBS affiliate KBTX. 

Humana will maintain zero telehealth copays for several visit types in the Medicare Advantage Part D plans through next year, President and CEO Bruce Broussard said during the company's third-quarter conference call, as transcribed by Seeking Alpha.

The Federal Communications Commission will open applications Nov. 6 for its $100 million Connected Care Pilot Program, which aims to improve telehealth access for low-income Americans and veterans.

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital is teaming up with Northwestern Medicine, both located in Chicago, on telemedicine services for pediatric patients.

The uptick in telehealth and virtual care has many benefits for patients during the pandemic. But there are also challenges and risks.