Telehealth News and Market Developments
Harvard Business Review: Making Better Use of Telemedicine, Clinical Records, and Primary Care Physicians (10/21) – The pandemic has highlighted a problem that existed long before COVID-19 swept the world: the difficulty hospitals have when faced with surges of patients. Shereef Elnahal, the CEO of Newark’s University Hospital and a former commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health, along with Harvard Medical School’s Kushal Kadakia and Suhas Gondi, suggest remedies tested before and during the pandemic, including telemedicine, walk-in clinics, home-based care, and value-based payments. “If the nature of crisis is unpredictability, then the responsibility of a health system should be adaptability,” they write.
Modern Healthcare: CVS, BCBS venture funds raise $118M for telehealth addiction platform (10/21) – Workit Health raised $118 million in Series C funding for its telehealth addiction care program, the company announced. Workit Health plans to use the additional money to expand into new markets and boost its primary and psychiatric care products and services.
Becker’s Health IT: Oak Street Health buys virtual care provider for $130M: 4 details (10/21) – Oak Street Health, a Chicago-based network of primary care centers for Medicare patients, acquired virtual consult platform RubiconMD for $130 million, the company said Oct. 21. 1. Under the deal, Oak Street Health will integrate RubiconMD's virtual specialty care services into its existing care model.
STAT News: Telehealth skeptics miss the forest for the trees (10/20) – Melynda Barnes, a surgeon and chief medical officer of Ro, a direct-to-patient healthcare company penned an op-ed in STAT remarking on the significant advancements telehealth has brought to health care delivery as a result of flexibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I think that those who want to allow telehealth policies, regulations, and reimbursement to revert to a pre-Covid status quo, effectively putting the brakes on virtual care, are missing the forest for the trees,” she commented. Dr. Darnes outlines several benefits of telehealth including telehealth complements in-person care, offers affordable options and new utilization for those typically blocked from care, and closes gaps for underserved communities.
The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore to use $80M in federal recovery money to battle COVID with vaccines, testing, contact tracing and telehealth (10/20) – Baltimore officials announced they will direct $80 million in American Rescue Plan funding to the city’s health department for the fight against the coronavirus. ARP money will also be spent to build a better telehealth infrastructure for the city’s health department, allowing patients to consult with health care providers, book appointments online and receive other services. Health Commissioner Letitia Dzirasa said the department hopes to have the strengthened service online by the end of 2022.
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