The Federal Communications Commission approved on Jan. 26 an additional 100 applications for funding in its second round of the COVID-19 Telehealth Program, totaling $47 million.

eVisit works with some of the largest health systems to build world-class Virtual Care programs. One of its standout partners is Concentra, the industry leader in providing care for work-related injuries and illnesses.

Venture capital firm Swiftarc Ventures launched Swiftarc Telehealth, a $75 million fund that will focus on telehealth and digital health, TechCrunch reported Jan. 25.

Family caregivers for older adults were left out of the conversation when the switch to telehealth was made in the beginning of the pandemic, but many older patients need their help to navigate telehealth services, a Jan. 20 study published in the Annals of Family Medicine reported.

Telemedicine companies who have gained an understanding of federal and state regulations will continue to flourish, while those who choose to ignore them will likely fail, TechCrunch reported Jan. 24.

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth use surged as people retreated inside. Despite some decline in usage in September and October 2021, telemedicine is likely to remain a fixture of healthcare moving forward. 

Lakeland (Fla.) Regional Health purchased a minority interest in BayCare HomeCare, the home health company created by Clearwater, Fla.-based BayCare Health System, according to a Jan. 18 news release.

The American Telemedicine Association has partnered with telehealth organizations to form an advocacy group. 

Marlton, N.J.-based Virtua Health rolled out a hospital-at-home program, according to a Jan. 19 report in New Jersey Business Magazine.

Virtual care has become a permanent fixture in care delivery. Now, hospitals and health systems must transition from implementing short-term solutions to figuring out how to make telemedicine part of their long-term plan.

The adoption of telehealth in the beginning of the pandemic led to an increase in Black patients' completion rates for follow-up visits after hospitalization, a study published Jan. 11 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found.

Health data has transformed healthcare and with the rise of telehealth, patient data is being acquired quickly, but healthcare facilities must balance healthcare data collection with patient privacy, Raconteur reported Jan. 19.

The pandemic required emergency departments to rely on digital technology, but telemedicine should be extended beyond the realm of the pandemic and become further integrated into emergency medicine, a commentary written in the New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst Dec. 21 suggested.

Mercy will use a $2.2 million from the Federal Communications Commission to expand its telehealth services for patients in Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

As telehealth is becoming a mainstay of healthcare, partly spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, companies are exploring ways to improve their telemedicine offerings. Here are four companies that unveiled healthcare-related devices at CES 2022, according to a Jan. 11 report in Time.

The pandemic caused explosive growth in telehealth, but one Colorado physician is saying the tool has added to some medical industry burnout, reported KRDO Jan. 11.

National use of telehealth services fell by 6.8 percent from September to October 2021, the American Journal of Managed Care reported Jan. 10. 

Fort Myers, Fla.-based Lee Health's telehealth services, which normally cost $49 per visit, are now being offered for free as the health system sees an increase in COVID-19 cases, Wink News reported Jan. 7.

Low-income, non-English-speaking patients of Hispanic and Asian ethnicities may be less likely to use telemedicine, according to a new study published Jan. 5. 

Female, primary care and behavior specialists were more likely to implement virtual care early on during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with male and surgical specialty physicians, a Dec. 30 study published in JAMA Network Open found.