Recent Telehealth Trends, Insights and News - February 2024
Recent funding, legislative updates and healthcare AI
It can be hard to stay on top of all the news, trends, technology and insights breaking through in the digital health space. The industry continues to grow faster each day. That’s why, while you focus on serving your patients, we’ll do the work for you with a February telehealth recap.
Curious about what’s new in telemedicine? Stay up to date on all the industry funding, legislative updates, a recent study on the efficacy of virtually prescribed abortion pills and healthcare AI.
Technology Trends and News
Roche and PathAI Partner to Develop AI-Powered Companion Diagnostics
PathAI will exclusively work with Roche Tissue Diagnostics (RTD) for an undisclosed pre-specified time to develop AI-enabled digital pathology algorithms in the companion diagnostics space. PathAI will still be able to develop its algorithms outside of the Roche deal.
Read the full Medical Device Network article here >>
Policy and Regulatory
The Telemedicine Revolution: How Legislative Changes Transformed Healthcare
This article by Forbes offers a unique, digestible overview of the legislative and regulatory changes that led to the virtual care boom we see today. From pay parity to new licensure models, FDA regulations, privacy & security regulations and patient engagement and education, the author breaks down telehealth’s key legislative change drivers.
Read the full Forbes article here >>
RCPA Issues Telehealth Legislative Update
The Rehabilitation & Community Providers Association reviewed proposed language with DHS, OMHSAS and a delegation of House and Senate Representatives for a new bill that would address the 4 walls standard for ongoing telehealth with practitioners not within the 4 walls of a clinic.
Read the full RCPA legislative update here >>
Launch of the Global Initiative on Digital Health
The World Health Organization launched and made opening remarks on the Global Initiative on Digital Health on February 20. The initiative is a WHO Managed Network aiming to amplify and align resources toward country-led digital health transformation through strengthened collaboration and knowledge exchange. It acts as a vehicle to facilitate the implementation of the Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020-2025.
Learn more about WHO initiative here >>
Industry Conversations
Overcoming The Barriers to Value-Based Payment In Primary Care
Primary and preventative care have been touted as one of the most critical components of our healthcare system. By preventing acute and chronic care conditions like cardiovascular diseases, we can significantly reduce healthcare costs and spending while improving long-term health outcomes. This article by RevCycleIntelligence focuses on the barriers health professionals face in the transition to a VBP model and ways to boost participation.
Read the full RevCycleIntelligence article here >>
Telehealth Availability For Mental Healthcare Varies By State, Study Finds
According to a study published by the JAMA Health Forum, the non-profit research institute Rand Corporation found that telehealth availability for mental health varied across states. In some states, like Mississippi, only half of treatment facilities offered virtual services. Whereas in other states like Oregon all of them did. To access the rest of the study’s findings, check out the full overview below.
Read the full HealthcareDive article here >>
Abortion Pills That Patients Got Via Telehealth and The Mail Are Safe, Study Finds
The study published in Nature Medicine came out just in time for a Supreme Court case regarding mifepristone this March. It will support the FDA’s ruling that it is safe to prescribe the abortion drug to patients via virtual appointment. From the study, they found that 99.7% of virtual prescribed abortions were not followed by any adverse effects.
Read the full NPR article on the study here >>
Growth, Funding and Innovation
Eating Disorder Platform Arise Lands $6.5M; Being Health Rakes in $5.4M for Hybrid Mental Health Offering
Nearly two years after raising $4 million in capital, Arise has raised roughly $6.5 million according to an SEC filing. The company offers personalized treatment for those living with eating disorders and notes its prioritization for hiring a diverse provider base.
Read the full funding article here >>
Being Health lands $5.4M for Hybrid Mental Health Offering
New York-based mental health practice Being Health has raised $5.4 million from 18 Park and HDS Capital. Being Health offers psychiatry, psychotherapy, novel treatments, functional medicine and wellness services with virtual and in-person appointments available.
Read the full funding article here >>
RingCentral Drives Momentum and Adoption Across Healthcare Organizations
In a recent RingCentral press release, the leading global provider of AI-first cloud-based business communications claims their healthcare customers have seen a 46% increase in staff productivity, a 53% increase in staff satisfaction and a 42% increase in HCAHPS patient satisfaction from using their trusted HIPAA-compliant communications. Read on to hear some customer testimonials from Sun River Health and Gonzaba Medical.
Read the full press release here >>
OpenLoop News and Updates
Real-World Examples and Applications of AI in Healthcare
A lot of what's been written about AI in healthcare has been theory or prediction, but what does its adoption actually look like in practice? We’ll be highlighting some real-world examples and scenarios where healthcare organizations are taking the leap into AI and the companies offering those solutions.
Read the full OpenLoop blog here >>
The Four Levels of Healthcare Interoperability (And Why They’re Important)
Often described as the ability of different information technology systems and software applications to communicate, exchange data and use the information that has been exchanged, interoperability in healthcare is multifaceted and operates on four distinct levels: foundational, structural, semantic and organizational. Understanding and leveraging these levels is crucial for healthcare leaders aiming to optimize health outcomes for both individuals and populations.
Read the full OpenLoop blog here >>
25 Medical Podcasts Healthcare Providers Should Listen To
As a healthcare professional, staying on top of the latest research and innovations in your field is important. However, when you subtract time spent sleeping, eating, bathroom breaks and family, there’s only so much time left in a day. That’s what makes podcasts so convenient – they’re an entertaining and easy way to get the latest industry insights. We did the work for you and compiled some of the top educational and entertaining healthcare podcasts out there (we threw in a few of our favorites too!)