Telehealth

Bangor, Maine-based St. Joseph Healthcare installed a telemedicine system for its rheumatology department to offer appointments to patients who are unable to travel to the hospital, CBS affiliate WABI reports.

Nurx, a telemedicine startup that sells prescription drugs such as birth control and HIV-prevention medication online, named Kim Boyd, MD, its new medical director.

The Department of Veterans Affairs and Microsoft are partnering to extend broadband internet connectivity in rural areas, improving access to services like telemedicine for 4.7 million veterans.

Eight recent partnerships between health systems and telehealth vendors:

Charleston-based Medical University of South Carolina will begin providing telehealth services to Hampton Regional Medical Center in Varnville, S.C., The Augusta Chronicle reports.

The U.S. population's shifting age demographics have created a need for more proactive care. Three million baby boomers are estimated to reach retirement every year for the next 20 years, according to Advisory Board. Additionally, 33 percent of adults are…

The scarcity of broadband access in rural counties may leave the residents of those areas unable to experience telemedicine appointments, Reuters reports.

Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health partnered with Bensalem (Pa.) Emergency Medical Services to acquire a $1.2 million mobile ambulance that is equipped with technology to help diagnose and treat stroke more quickly, Courier Times reports.  

Ft. Myers, Fla.-based Lee Health is offering a new virtual care service that allows patients to use telehealth to receive treatment and prescription medication from their providers, Business Observer reports.

Mountain Home, Ark.-based Baxter Regional Medical Center partnered with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock on a pilot program that uses telemedicine to increase the speed of stroke care, NBC affiliate KY3 reports.