Telehealth

Telehealth technology is transforming healthcare delivery across the country, and in emergency departments, it's helping reduce stays of behavioral emergency patients by connecting them with the expert care they need. 

To help minimize the spread of COVID-19, Jacksonville, Fla.-based Nemours Children's Health System has been ramping up its telemedicine efforts and staff training to accommodate more virtual care visits.

While California has recently rolled out initiatives to expand telehealth services during the coronavirus pandemic, many other areas of the country still have not made virtual care widely available, NBC Bay Area reports.

Telehealth services have seen a 312 percent increase in demand from New York patients amid the coronavirus outbreak, Amwell spokesperson Holly Spring told CNBC News.

Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente said it is closing some medical office buildings and consolidating to fewer locations in some of its service areas as it postpones some appointments and expands the use of virtual visits. 

After multiple telehealth startups began marketing direct-to-consumer coronavirus testing kits, the FDA has issued an alert noting that is has not authorized any such tests, which may "pose serious health risks."

Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health launched its virtual hospital program March 23 to treat patients who test positive for COVID-19 in their homes, according to the Charlotte Business Journal.

In his debut book, Malcolm Gladwell talked about tipping points, the period in time when an idea or trend galvanizes so completely that its spread is unstoppable.

The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance on March 23 ordered that all state health insurers, HMOs, health service corporations and health benefits plans reimburse providers for telehealth visits during the coronavirus pandemic.

Amazon and Sprint have selected Seat Pleasant, Md., as their new city where the companies will launch a $200 million nationwide disease surveillance and chronic disease management telehealth program, according to a March 21 news release.