Telehealth

Telehealth reduces primary care spending, as telehealth utilization has been associated with lower emergency department utilization and inpatient hospitalizations, according to a Dec. 13 study editorial published in Nature.

Most patients who had a telehealth visit didn't require an in-person follow-up appointment in the next three months, according to a Dec. 13 study from Epic Research. 

Only 11 percent of hospitals and 8 percent of practices said they are looking to expand their telehealth offerings in 2023, according to a Dec. 14 telehealth report from national healthcare consultancy firm Sage Growth Partners.

Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health System has partnered with musculoskeletal digital health company IncludeHealth to offer patients virtual physical therapy in their homes.

Telehealth startups offering private, on-demand virtual care have been sharing some of the sensitive information gathered during a patient's intake and checkout process with big tech companies, TheMarkup reported Dec. 13. 

UNC Health System's integrative medicine clinic has expanded, allowing patients to conduct their visits either in-person or via telemedicine. 

Telehealth company Ro has tapped Gia Lee, former deputy general counsel at HHS, as the company's new legal chief, Bloomberg Law reported Dec. 9.

Becker's has covered three health systems and hospitals implementing new telehealth programs since Nov. 22: 

COVID-19 fell from the second to third most common telehealth diagnosis, according to FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the widespread adoption of telehealth. However, a new report from the Boston-based Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute highlighted telehealth disparities across Massachusetts, the Cape Cod Times reported Dec. 6.