Telehealth

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina will grant $750,000 to Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health to increase its virtual clinic access for local elementary schools.

CMS issued a final rule April 5 that updates Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug programs to increase seniors' telehealth benefits.

Stony Brook (N.Y.) Medicine launched a mobile stoke unit program, which incorporates telemedicine to allow emergency medical technicians to communicate with the health system's neurologists through video.

The South Carolina House passed a proposal April 4 that would require the state to help pay for expanded broadband internet access in low-income counties, the Charlotte Observer reports.

Pediatric patients were more often prescribed antibiotics during direct-to-consumer telemedicine visits than during in-person urgent care or primary care appointments, according to research published in Pediatrics.

Johnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad Health is changing what services it offers at two hospitals in Greene County, Tenn., according to NBC affiliate WCYB.

Advantia Health, a female-focused health technology company that provides specialized care for women, purchased video chat platform Pacify, which serves new and expectant mothers.

Worcester-based University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Group awarded four of its physicians $200,000 for their telemedicine initiative aimed at increasing evaluations of individuals suspected of opioid overdose, Worcester Business Journal reports.

Walla Walla, Wash.-based Providence St. Mary Medical Center launched an emergency telemedicine program for pediatric patients after receiving a financial donation and letter from a local family of a child who previously needed emergency medical care, KNDO, an NBC affiliate, reports.

Private insurance claim lines for telehealth services increased 53 percent from 2016 to 2017, according to a Fair Health report.