Telehealth

With the news that UnitedHealth Group is ending its telehealth offerings, Amwell and Teladoc have seen their stocks plummet more than 50% in the past year, Walmart is shuttering all 51 health centers and its virtual care services and Optum…

The issue of ED boarding – holding admitted patients in the ED – has reached “public health emergency” levels according to the American College of Emergency Physicians. The crisis is especially acute for patients experiencing a mental health emergency who…

Nationally, telehealth claim lines saw a slight decline, dropping from 4.86% of all medical claim lines in April to 4.82% in May, representing a 0.8% decrease, FAIR Health's monthly telehealth regional tracker found. 

It is anticipated that Congress will extend telehealth access rules for Medicare patients, though likely not until after the election. This delay could have significant repercussions, Politico reported Aug. 9.

While telehealth use has largely leveled off since the COVID-19 pandemic, one group of patients at Kaiser Permanente and UCSF Health has increasingly taken advantage of the technology.

Columbia, Md.-based MedStar Health's telehealth journey began in 2018 during what Bill Sheahan, the organization's chief innovation officer and vice president, called the "era of telehealth exploration." 

The American Telemedicine Association formed a new leadership council featuring 11 health system executives.

UPMC Enterprises, the venture capital arm of Pittsburgh-based UPMC, has sold its inpatient teleconsult technology to eVisit, a virtual care platform. Initially developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, this platform played a crucial role in supporting health systems like New York…

Healthcare technology company Fabric acquired Walmart's virtual care business, MeMD, which serves 30,000 employers and has 5 million members.

Even though Congress is working to extend pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities, political leaders say the care model has yet to live up to its promise, Politico reported.