Recent Telehealth Trends, Insights and News - August 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 industry articles on the future of remote patient monitoring, updates on the telehealth expansion bill, the end of Amazon Care and new funding for the use of telehealth in cancer research.

Technology, Trends and Insights

HIMSS 2022: Health Systems See Virtual Care Companies as Biggest Competitive Threat: Report

Health systems are ranking virtual health companies as their top rivals regarding digital transformation. About 73% of provider organizations are currently stuck in the planning stages for personalized care, but are looking to change that. Read on for more statistics and information on how Health Systems plan to keep up.

Read the full FierceHealthcare article here >>

The Future of Healthcare Technology is Remote Patient Monitoring — Here’s What You Need to Know

This article by MedTech Dive focuses on the remote patient monitoring device boom encouraged by the pandemic, why it’s likely solidified a part in the future of healthcare and some of its key players innovating the virtual care space.

Read full MedTech Dive article here >>

Policy and Regulatory Updates

Huge House win puts telehealth extension in Senate’s hands

The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to pass a medicare telehealth extension bill that would last until December 2024. This bill would continue to waiver key barriers to telehealth coverage until a more permanent solution can be made. It is now headed to the senate for a vote.

Read full American Medical Association article here >>

Industry Conversations

Amazon to Shutdown its Telehealth Offering

Amazon is set to shutdown the in-person and virtual care services, Amazon Care, it initially built for its employees by the end of the year. The decision will see the end to virtual health care for not only Amazon but corporate customers like Silicon Labs, Precor, Whole Foods and Hilton. The article goes further to explain how the final decision was made and what this means for the future.

Read the full Washington Post article here >>

Why telehealth is more than just a pandemic trend

Telehealth is here to stay. It was born out of necessity during the pandemic but patients and providers have continued to enjoy the flexibility and convenience it offers. Hear from Liz Fobare, vice president of product management at Tebra, a vendor of cloud-based clinical and practice management software for independent healthcare practices and billing companies, and her thoughts on the future role of telemedicine.

Read full HealthcareIT News article here >>

Growth and Innovation

Retailers, Payers and Startups Could Capture 30% of Primary Care Market by 2030: Report

Big retailers like Walmart, Amazon and Walgreens are all getting into the primary care market. These nontraditional players are gaining traction in the virtual care industry and are set to capture 30% of the market by 2030. As the shift to a more value-based model continues, it leaves more room for these nontraditional players to enter into the market.

Read full FierceHealthcare article here >>

National Cancer Institute Awards $23 Million to Four Academic Centers to Research Cancer Telehealth

The award money will be used to establish four Telehealth Research Centers of Excellence (TRACE). It’s an initiative that’s part of the Cancer MoonshotSM, a White House concept launched in 2016 and supported by President Biden in 2022. The study will cover a range of interventions from prevention to screening, diagnosis to treatment and survivorship. Read on to learn more about the award and study.

Read full Forbes article here >>

Plume, the Leading Gender-Affirming Virtual Care Provider Announces $24M in Series B Funding to Expand Coverage Nationwide

Plume, a market-leading provider of virtual care services designed for the health care needs of the transgender community, has annouced its series B funding round of $24 million. The investment will go towards creating more access to high quality, safe gender-affirming care by expanding its coverage. Read on to learn more about Plume’s recent series B funding.

Read the full press release here >>

OpenLoop News

House Passes Telehealth Extension Bill Through 2024

The house has passed the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act of 2022 and it is now in the hands of the Senate. So what does this mean for telehealth and digital health companies? The push from legislators towards a more permanent telehealth coverage solution is a promising sign for the future of virtual care. In this OpenLoop article, learn the key takeaways of the bill and what to expect moving forward.

Read the full OpenLoop article here >>

OpenLoop Reaches New Milestones In First Half of 2022

The first half of 2022 has been a positive one for the OpenLoop team. We’ve seen unprecedented growth in both clients and employees in the past six months with 60+ new clients and 94 new employees. Additionally, OpenLoop was able to introduce new products and virtual care services thanks to our $8 million series A funding round back in March. But that’s just the overview! Come find out what else we’ve up to.

Read the full OpenLoop article here >>