Phoenix-based Banner Health is piloting a telehealth program aimed at increasing access to obstetrical care for rural patients.

Remote care has a long and storied history. In The Lancet, an article from 1879 describes, “doctor’s appointments through the telephone to avoid unnecessary office visits”. And in the US, acute care in the home has been written about for over 25 years. With the pandemic necessitating change, CMS launched the AHCaH initiative and enabled Medicare-certified hospitals to be reimbursed for inpatient-level care in the home.

National telehealth use among individuals with private health insurance grew 10.2 percent from December to January, up from 4.9 percent of all medical claim lines to 5.4 percent, according to an April 6 Fair Health report. 

Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare and Broomfield, Colo.-based SCL Health's completed merger will expand telehealth and innovation efforts, news outlets reported April 4.

Before the pandemic, telehealth made up less than 1 percent of visits across all specialties. COVID-19 accelerated demand for these services, immediately increasing in 2020 to 8 percent of primary care visits and 3 percent of specialty care visits. 

The Government Accountability Office on March 31 recommended CMS assess the effect increased telehealth use is having on the quality of care received by Medicaid beneficiaries.

Fountain Valley, Calif.-based MemorialCare expanded its telehealth offerings to include remote physical examinations.

Sacramento, Calif.-based UC Davis Health launched five programs to expand telehealth access to more patients, the health system announced March 31.

Telehealth usage has boomed throughout the pandemic, but many physicians are unsure about its sustainability. Here are three key reasons some physicians are reluctant to adopt the care delivery model.

There has been much discussion regarding reimbursement for telehealth. Classically, insurers have worried that telehealth coverage would lead to overuse. However, despite the extraordinary utility and use of telehealth during the pandemic, we have not seen providers increase the number of total visits they perform over prior patterns. Instead, telehealth appears to have been used as an essential substitute for in-person visits, and overuse appears to have been a false concern. 

Having separate schedule blocks for in-person and telehealth visits is the change that would benefit telehealth workflows most, according to survey results released March 23 by the American Medical Association.

SilverCloud Health, the world’s leading digital mental health platform, that is now part of Amwell®, announced the launch of a new six course program suite, featuring programs, content, interactive tools, and videos aimed at addressing family mental health, in direct response to needs from the COVID-19 pandemic and recent global events.

Patient satisfaction and access to care are the top ways healthcare providers measure the value of their telehealth services, according to survey results released March 23 by the American Medical Association.

Telephone and Zoom are the two telehealth platforms physicians use the most, according to survey results released March 23 by the American Medical Association.

Rolling back COVID-19 waivers and telehealth coverage will be the most significant barriers to telehealth delivery, according to survey results released March 23 by the American Medical Association.

Telehealth continues to offer solutions to old and new healthcare challenges, from extending services in rural areas to addressing nursing shortages amid COVID-19. But formidable barriers remain in expanding telehealth.

Third-party contracted physicians prescribed antibiotics at a higher rate over telemedicine than their affiliated counterparts, a study published in the Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare found. 

HSS' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration released a toolkit to help healthcare providers prepare for the July 16 launch of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, according to a March 16 America Hospital Association news release. 

Teladoc Health unveiled a framework to help employers and health plans enhance their healthcare benefits by integrating virtual care.

Telehealth apps that aim to help treat the nation's addiction and opioid epidemic are increasing in popularity, drawing in investor dollars, but critics wonder whether the treatments are equitable, reported Kaiser Health News March 21.