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.

Swymed, Doximity and Caregility topped the list of telehealth companies ranked highest for provider satisfaction, according to a recent KLAS Research report. 

The Government Accountability Office testified in front of Congress that government agencies should wait until after the pandemic, when there is more research, before expanding telehealth coverage for Medicare and Medicaid programs, according to a May 19 report.

A mid COVID-19 and its many related hardships, the lingering debate in healthcare regarding the legitimacy, safety and potential of telehealth to support and extend clinical care was finally put to rest. Telehealth has now become a mission-critical pipeline through which significant volumes of high-quality care are flowing.

Ro, a direct-to-consumer telehealth app for pharmacy services, said May 19 it had acquired reproductive health company Modern Fertility.

While more than one in four (27 percent) of Medicare beneficiaries had a telehealth visit between the summer and fall of 2020, participants ranged by factors including age and race, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation report.