Telemedicine News & Updates 6-15-2017

Stay up to date on the latest and join the conversation with #Telehealth and #Telemedicine.

Telemedicine: Myths and the Truth Behind Them
How is telemedicine impacting your business? Whether you own one store or are the vice-president of a chain of stores, telemedicine can make a positive impact in several areas from increased customer satisfaction to an overall increase in revenue. Smart Vision Labs (@SmartVisionLabsoffers some explanation and dispels some myths about the practice of telemedicine.

This Month in Telemedicine: June 2017
American Telemedicine Association (@AmericanTelemed) CEO Jonathan Linkous dives into the latest ATA news and Chief Policy Officer Gary Capistrant tackles telehealth policy topics on both state and federal level.

Telehealth Adoption to Double by 2018
The number of U.S. health systems with consumer-service telehealth programs is on pace to nearly double from 2016 to 2018, according to findings from the Hospital & Health Systems 2016 Consumer Telehealth Benchmark Survey by Teladoc. Seventy-six percent of U.S. hospitals and health systems either have in place or expect to implement a consumer telehealth program by 2018. Drivers for the rapid adoption growth include the desire to improve access to care, improve care coordination, increase efficiency, prevent readmissions and expand population health programs.

eazyScripts Announces Signing of Digital Noema Telehealth as New Client
eazyScripts (@eazyscripts), a provider of e-prescribing software for telemedicine providers, announced the signing of Digital Noema Telehealth (@dntelehealth) as a new client. DN Telehealth maximizes collaboration for its clients and their patients, in real-time, extending consultations beyond a physical clinical setting to include fully secure, web browser-based conferencing sessions. The solution allows clinicians, caregivers and patients to extend care coordination to go beyond traditional care models, to optimize care and promote patient engagement of any “at risk” patient population, in a fully HIPAA-compliant environment.

Video Conferencing Market In The Healthcare Domain To Reach US$ 623 Mn By 2022 – Credence Research
The Tampa Bay Review reports that according to a new market research report published by Credence Research “Video Conferencing in Healthcare Market – Growth, Share, Opportunities, Competitive Analysis and Forecast 2015 – 2022”, the global healthcare video conferencing market was valued at US$246.0Mn in 2014 and is estimated to expand with a CAGR of 12.1% from 2015 to 2022.

Telepharmacy: New Jobs, Expanded Opportunities
Voice of the Pharmacist reports that telepharmacy is gaining momentum as more pharmacies seek ways to extend their regular business hours, grow their scope of services, or capture a greater share of the market. This is true across the board—for pharmacies in rural communities, in specialty clinics, and in emergency departments. For pharmacists, this growing interest in telepharmacy translates to more job opportunities and a chance to further demonstrate the value pharmacists can have as an important member of the health-care team.

School nurses vital to implementation of school telehealth program
According to Heartland Telehealth Resource Center Children’s Health Dallas has implemented one of the country’s most successful school telehealth programs. Children’s VP of Virtual Health and Innovation Julie-Hall Barrow, Ed.D., who recently keynoted the Missouri Telehealth Summit, sat down with HTRC to talk about the important role school nurses have played in that success of that program and why telehealth in schools can benefit busy school nurses. Check out the video to learn more.

Healthcare startup Carena raises $6M to fuel technology behind virtual doctor’s visits
When you have the flu or a child with an earache, just getting into a doctor’s office can be an incredible hassle. But with the right technology, virtual doctors’ visits can deal with many of these minor health issues. Carena (@carenainc), a telemedicine startup based in Seattle, is developing technology that can make those virtual appointments a reality. The company recently closed a $6 million round of funding, bringing the company’s total funding to more than $30 million.

In State News:
American Well Telehealth Services Now Live in Texas
American Well (@AmericanWellrecently announced that its clinical partner, Online Care Group, is open and available for telehealth visits in Texas, following the historic signing of Bill SB107 into law by Governor Abbott on May 27. This bill embraces telehealth, holding medical professionals using telehealth to the same standard of care as those in a traditional medical practice and paving the way for more expansive use of high-quality telehealth services.

N.J. moves to regulate growing telemedicine industry
An Assembly panel recently voted to regulate the burgeoning tele-medicine industry in New Jersey that supporters say will enable medically fragile people to remain home rather than having to travel for appointments, and save money by cutting back on unnecessary emergency room visits. If the state Legislature ultimately passes the bill, New Jersey would join 39 other states that have set standards on how these appointments are conducted and the prices that may be charged.

Upcoming Events:

SPS 2017 Telehealth Conference
What: 3rd National Telemedicine & Telehealth Service Provider Showcase
When: October 2-3, 2017
Where: Phoenix, AZ

CMS Covered Telehealth Services
You can download the list of services payable under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule when furnished via telehealth on the CMS website.