Recent Telehealth Trends, Insights and News - March 2023
BetterHelp’s $7.8M FTC settlement, Sen. Moran proposes new EHR legislation and OpenLoop raises $15M in funding round
It can be hard to stay on top of all the news, trends, technology and insights breaking through in the digital health space. 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 telemedicine? Stay up-to-date on BetterHelp’s $7.8 million settlement, new EHR legislation, the Aledade and Humana primary care collaboration and OpenLoop’s recent $15 million Series A funding round.
Technology, Insights and News
Teladoc-Owned Betterhelp To Pay $7.8M To Online Therapy Users For Alleged Data Misuse, Per FTC Order
As part of a proposed order announced Thursday, Feb. 23, BetterHelp is banned from sharing consumers’ health data, including sensitive information about mental health challenges, with third parties for marketing and ad targeting. BetterHelp agreed to pay a $7.8 million in settlement. Read on to find out more details on the settlement.
Read the full FierceHealthcare article here >>
FTC Puts Health Apps ‘on Notice’ After Amazon’s Purchase Of One Medical
In light of the recent settlement with BetterHelp, the FTC is making it known that they are going to continue to monitor health data and keep a close eye on the health-app market. Additionally, the new acquisition is raising questions of possible antitrust violations. The FTC is already investigating possible competition issues with the purchase. Read the full SC Media article here >>
Most Primary Care Telehealth Visits Don't Require In-Person Follow-Up, Epic Study Shows
Epic analyzed family medicine, general internal medicine and pediatric telehealth data to learn if virtual care is as effective in reducing in-person follow-up visits as specialty care. According to their dual study, 60% of the virtual primary care telehealth appointments (from March 1, 2020 - October 15, 2022) did not result in follow-ups. Read on to learn more about the study and its findings.
Read the full Healthcare IT News article here >>
Policy and Regulatory Updates
Top Lawmaker Moves To Block Va Oracle Cerner Rollout Until Requirements Are Met
Sen. Jerry Moran, a ranking member of the Senate Veterans affair Committee, and 11 other republican co-sponsors, introduced legislation that would prohibit the VA from implementing its ORacle Cerner EHR rollout. The Department of Veterans Affairs EHRM Standardization and Accountability Act would block the VA from certain activities until certification of system stability improvements.
Read the full Nextgov article here >>
Industry Conversations
Worsening Opioid Crisis Drives More Addiction Treatment In ERs
The continuing opioid overdose crisis is prompting hospitals to administer addiction treatment in emergency rooms. Behavioral health experts are welcoming this change but it’s resurfacing tension between providers on whose responsibility it is to address the opioid misuse. Read on to understand why this change matters and the current scope of the opioid crisis.
Read the full Axios article here >>
Health Records In Real-Time: How The Shift To Value-Based Care Affects Patient Records
In this short round-up by Becker’s Health IT, it discusses how the push towards a value-based care model in the US has sparked the need for more longitudinal, patient-focused records according to a health IT report by PitchBook. In the report, PitchBook found several EHR trends to watch.
Industry Growth and Innovation
Aledade and Humana Inks 10-Year Value-Based Primary Care Collaboration
The independent primary care provider Aledade and the health insurer Humana have announced a ten-year collaboration connecting primary care physicians in Humana’s network with the tools they need to thrive in value-based primary care. Since 2019, the two have worked together in a limited number of markets and were able to increase primary visits and reduce inpatient hospitalizations.
Read the full HIT Consultant article here >>
Pfizer Rolls Out New Digital Health Covid-19 Testing Initiative
Pfizer is partnering with health technology company Cue Health to provide educational resources to patients who test positive for COVID-19 through the Cue Health app. This app will include information on risk factors and the progression of COVID-19. Read on to learn more about the new initiative.
Read the full Becker’s Hospital Review article here >>
OpenLoop News
Telehealth Startup OpenLoop Raises $15 Million to Streamline Virtual Care Delivery
OpenLoop, a leader in white-label telehealth support services powering virtual and hybrid care across the country, announced its $15M Series A funding. The round was led by Nava Ventures, with participation from new investors UnityPoint Health Ventures and PrimeTime Ventures, and existing investors SpringTide Ventures and ManchesterStory. The company also announced a new nationwide insurance payer network that allows clients to offer reimbursable services to patients instead of cash pay only options.
Read the full press release here >>
Teleradiology Streamlines Diagnostic Imaging Services for Hospitals
Teleradiology has become more widely adopted due to short staffing and high demand for diagnostic imaging services and referrals. According to a report by Transparency Market Research, the teleradiology service market is expected to reach $26.4 billion by 2031. This predicted growth is due in part to its several adoption perks like increased access to radiologists, reduced overhead costs and faster diagnostics.