Telehealth

Humana on July 29 announced a $100 million investment in and new partnership with telehealth home care startup Heal. 

An HHS report on telehealth utilization for Medicare beneficiaries during the pandemic found that while the visits were up in both rural and urban areas, the biggest growth was in urban areas.

Anesthesiologists in New Hampshire have launched a remote intensive care unit to ensure COVID-19 patients in rural hospitals have access to the same standard of care as those in urban environments.

Ro, a direct-to-consumer telehealth app for pharmacy services, raised $200 million as part of its latest fundraising round, according to a July 27 news release.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota will extend eligibility for expanded telehealth coverage through the end of the year.

Hospitals and health systems have relied on technology partners and vendors to help them with the swift roll-out of telemedicine, data platforms, digital analytics and remote work capabilities during the pandemic.

Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan Medicine recently launched two programs that use digital health tools to shorten hospital stays and redirect patient care to home settings, according to a July 24 news release. 

Sacramento, Calif.-based UC Davis Health and Adventist Health Lodi (Calif.) Memorial recently partnered to launch the Lodi hospital's first telemedicine intensive care unit services, according to a July 23 news release.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill into law July 22 that will make certain parts of the state's expanded telehealth coverage and services permanent, NH Public Radio reports.

Humana will roll out more than 1 million in-home preventive care screening kits to members in 2020 to increase the number of routine care screenings which some people have avoided due the coronavirus pandemic.