IRVING, Texas (BUSINESS WIRE), June 10, 2021 - Vizient, Inc. hosted a virtual congressional briefing on Wednesday, June 9, titled, “Telehealth, Not Just a Pandemic Back-up Plan.” Panelists discussed how hospitals provide telehealth services, lessons learned regarding the increased utilization of telehealth and what is needed to continue to support providers and patients beyond the pandemic.

From mental health services to shaking up employer-sponsored health, Walmart Health and Amazon Care are racing to expand into healthcare nationwide. 

More than 1,000 telehealth-related bills have been introduced across all 50 of the state legislatures since the start of the year, according to the American Telemedicine Association. 

Telehealth claim lines are continuing to decrease — they dropped by 16 percent in February compared to January and dropped 5 percent in March compared to February, according to healthcare data cost organization Fair Health.

Babylon Health, a digital-first health company in London, is expanding into the U.S. with a $4.2 billion merger with Nashville, Tenn.-based Alkuri Global Acquisition.

Membership-based primary care network One Medical said June 7 it will acquire Iora Health, a tech-powered primary care provider focusing on serving Medicare patients.

The widespread adoption of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic has been welcomed by patients, providers, insurers and vendors, but some are still skeptical about its final place in healthcare delivery, according to a June 7 KHN report. 

Competition between telehealth frontrunner Teladoc and retail tech giant Amazon may be heating up as Amazon creeps into telehealth, but Teladoc's leader isn't worried, according to a June 6 report from CNBC.

Nearly half of Americans want to use telehealth after the pandemic era, and more than a third of Americans would prefer telehealth to an in-person visit, according to a May 27 survey by the American Psychiatric Association.

While the COVID-19 pandemic significantly sped up telemedicine adoption, the integration of virtual care with in-person delivery will hold a place in the healthcare system far beyond the pandemic. 

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos will officially step down as chief executive on July 5, passing the telehealth torch to incoming CEO Andy Jassy, according to a May 26 article by CNN.

Doctor On Demand and Grand Rounds Health have signed a definitive agreement to acquire Included Health, a comprehensive healthcare platform for patients who are LGBTQ and BIPOC.

Researchers from Syracuse (N.Y.) University and the Syracuse (N.Y.) VA Medical Center found that more than 40 percent of physicians plan to continue telehealth practices after the pandemic era, according to a recent study published in JMIR Publications.

Because one-to-one sitter staffing isn't effective for high-risk patients, many leading healthcare organizations are turning to centralized audiovisual monitoring models as an alternative.

Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger Health System on May 25 launched ConnectedCare365, a virtual care delivery platform for patients with chronic diseases that uses remote monitoring, artificial intelligence and data analysis tools to improve patient outcomes. 

The pandemic accelerated "hospital at home" programs, which use remote monitoring and telehealth technologies to provide patients with hospital-level care in their homes. However, uncertainties about the care model's future remain, according to a May 24 Kaiser Health News report.

The American Medical Association teamed up with Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital and New Orleans-based Ochsner Health System on a May report to develop a framework for measuring the value of virtual care.

HHS will use $14.2 million in funding provided by the American Rescue Plan to increase pediatric mental healthcare access by connecting mental health specialists to pediatric primary care providers using telehealth, according to a May 20 news release.

Coppell, Texas-based medical staffing firm AMN Healthcare in April finalized its acquisition of Synzi, a virtual care platform for home health and outpatient care, for $42.5 million.

Emerging technologies are helping hospitals and health systems improve efficiency and the experience of both patients and providers.