Virtual care news, trends and reimbursement updates
Telehealth news covering program growth, utilization and payment. Becker's tracks telehealth reimbursement policy at the federal and state level and how virtual care fits into health system strategy.
Telehealth
Hospitals and health systems across the country are asking patients to pick up the phone rather than sit a waiting room if they have fears they might be infected with the coronavirus, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Amazon may expand its virtual clinic services to employees working at its second headquarters in Arlington, Va., according to a March 4 Washington Business Journal report.
Charleston, S.C.-based MUSC Health is rolling out telemedicine intensive care unit services at its Lancaster (S.C.) Medical Center, according to a news release emailed to Becker's Hospital Review.
Peter Rasmussen, MD, is among the champions of virtual care. Over the past six years, he has lost count of the number of patients he has treated in virtual settings.
The Alliance for Connected Care and American Telemedicine Association are among a group of virtual care advocates urging CMS to waive telehealth restrictions during national emergencies such as the coronavirus outbreak, according to Politco's Feb. 28 Morning eHealth newsletter.
UC Davis Health began a telemedicine partnership this month with Adventist Health + Rideout, offering neonatology care to patients at the Roseville, Calif.-based health system via virtual consultation, according to a news release.
Teladoc Health reported $533.3 million in full year revenue for 2019, a 32 percent year-over-year increase, according to a Feb. 26 news release.
K Health, a startup offering patients an artificial intelligence-powered symptom checker and telehealth consultations with primary care physicians, raised $48 million from investors that included its partner Anthem, Crunchbase reports.
While telemedicine presents great potential to both expand patient access to care and reduce costs, it needs 5G to help boost its full capabilities, according to Bea Grause and Arthur Fougner.
As mobile and app-based interactions have transformed consumerism over the past five years, telehealth has experienced growth that has outpaced even Netflix's digital consumerism model, according to Joseph DeVeau, MD.