Telehealth

As hospitals and health systems increasingly look to remotely monitor patients for a variety of chronic conditions, Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente is already tracking the diabetes of nearly 40,000 people from the comfort of their homes.

AvaSure, an acute virtual care and patient monitoring company, has named four C-suite executives to its team.

Nest Collaborative, a virtual breastfeeding support platform, has partnered with Kettering (Ohio) Health to provide telehealth breastfeeding support to patients giving birth at the system's maternity centers. 

More than 100 health startups and medical associations are lobbying for permanent permission to prescribe controlled substances via telehealth, a permission that has been temporarily granted due to the pandemic-era flexibilities, The Wall Street Journal reported Nov. 25. 

Omaha, Neb.-based CHI Health sent a letter to Congress on Nov. 28 urging them to continue the pandemic-era safe harbor for first-dollar high deductible health plan telehealth coverage.

Healthcare organizations are faced with myriad pressures ranging from controlling costs to dealing with labor shortages, addressing changing consumer dynamics and maintaining patient loyalty.

Amwell is reportedly exploring a $200 million buyout of online therapy company Talkspace, Seeking Alpha reported Nov. 28. 

Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Avera Health has received $2.5 million from the Health Resources and Services Administration to address the workforce shortage through telehealth, virtual nursing and rural healthcare education.

As telehealth use expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic, many states passed laws requiring payers to reimburse providers at the same rate as in-person visits. But not all of them.

Becker’s has covered five health systems implementing new telehealth programs since Oct. 27: