Recent Telehealth Trends, Insights And News - May 2022

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 seems to grow faster each day. That’s why, while you focus on serving your patients, we’ll do the work for you with our monthly telehealth recap.

Curious about what’s new in telehealth? Read about current equity efforts, the newest bills being introduced, how the end of Roe v. Wade could affect startups, increased industry funding and more.

Technology, trends and insights

Howard University, Teva Pharmaceuticals launch coalition to advocate for equity through digital health

A cross-industry coalition called the Digital Health for Equitable Health (DHEH) Alliance recently launched with the goal of reducing disparities through digital health. In an effort to improve care in telemedicine, AI, wearables, virtual reality and other innovations they’ve already acquired notable members. They include organizations like the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the Black Women’s Health Imperative, the Howard University College of Medicine and Teva Pharmaceuticals, among others.

Read the full FierceHealthcare article here >>

Improving data capacity for maternal health research through EHR data standards

EHR security and interoperability has been a hot topic in the world of digital health lately. With maternal mortality rates on the rise in the U.S., Healthcare IT discusses how improving the collection, linkage, and analysis of data collected at the point of care can help providers understand possible risk factors for maternal mortality.

Read the full Healthcare IT article here >>

Policy and regulatory updates

Senate Finance Committee details telehealth 'Bill of Rights' for mental health care

A Senate panel outlined flexibilities in telehealth should be made permanent for mental health services. This would include codifying audio-only mental health coverage and removing Medicare’s in-person only requirement. This is expected to be a part of a larger package with the goal of addressing bigger mental health reforms. The proposed “bill of rights” would expand the access of mental health services for providers and patients by removing certain Medicare requirements.

Read the full FierceHealthcare article here >>

2 New Telehealth Bills Aim to Solidify Expanded Virtual Care Access

As questions around the future of telehealth policy pile up, congress is considering two new bills; the Kidney Health Connect Act and the Connecting Rural Telehealth to the Future Act. Bills like these will play a key role in the continued use of telehealth services beyond the pandemic. Both, if passed, will provide telehealth access to communities experiencing unnecessary regulatory barriers.

Read full mHealthIntelligence article here >>

Industry conversations

Is there hope for telehealth startups in a post-Roe world?

This podcast by TechCrunch interviews Kiki Freedman, the CEO and co-founder of Hey Jane, to answer big questions about building, raising, and existing in an environment of regulatory scrutiny. Hey Jane is a direct-to-consumer telehealth company that specializes in the delivery of abortion pills and is gearing up for its next fundraising process.

Listen to the entire TechCrunch podcast here >>

Providers must choose their words carefully when pushing for telehealth expansion

The virtual care world is full of newly defined terminology. Terms like digital health, telehealth, telemedicine and virtual care are often used interchangeably within different groups. However, as the industry and its services continue to evolve, understanding how different stakeholders use telehealth terms may be key to its future success.

Read full MedCity news article here >>

Growth and innovation

Funding to the telehealth space is at an all-time high — here’s what’s driving the boom

Equity funding in telehealth startups hasn't slowed down since its pandemic boom. In a brief data review from CB Insights, look into the sector’s market drivers as well as emerging themes and their key implications.

Read full CB Insights article here >>

92% of allergy/immunology practices now use telehealth

Allergy and Immunology services have seen quite the expansion since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article from Healio, dig deeper into what that statistic really means for patients, their providers and the future of allergy/immunology virtual care.

Read the full Healio article here >>

OpenLoop news

OpenLoop clinicians now cover 300 million patient lives

OpenLoop, a leader in whitelabel telehealth support services powering virtual care across the country, has officially exceeded 90% coverage by nationwide insurance payers with OpenLoop’s network of credentialed clinicians. This further promotes client success by expanding access to in-network patient coverage through OpenLoop’s NCQA certified network of top quality providers.

Read the full press release here >>

What is Interoperability and why is it important?

In this article, OpenLoop discusses how interoperability fits into the digital health space and why it's critical to the future of telehealth. Learn how integration benefits research, increases the security of electronic health records (EHRs), decreases systemic biases and introduces some of the barriers to look out for.

Read the full article here >>