Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente and Chicago-based CommonSpirit are cutting their carbon footprint by thousands of metric tons per year through increased adoption of telehealth and virtual care, The Wall Street Journal reported Aug. 2.

Here is a list of five federal developments related to telehealth since the start of 2023, according to a July 31 report from jdsupra.com:

Telehealth exploded out of necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic, but as the U.S. moves out of the COVID-19 era, hospital leaders told Becker's they are relying less on telehealth.

The Agriculture Department gave Charlottesville, Va.-based UVA Health over $5 million to expand telemedicine programming for rural communities, according to a July 25 report from CBS19 News.

Teladoc saw its second-quarter revenue increase to $652.4 million from $592.4 million in the second quarter of 2022, a 10 percent increase.

David Santana, owner of Conclave Media and Nationwide Health Advocates, has been charged in a $44 million telemedicine scheme. 

CMS is requiring all healthcare providers to use HIPAA-compliant telehealth platforms by Aug. 10, the California Medical Association reported July 23.

Telehealth remains a powerful tool for treating patients from their homes, but connectivity issues and legal confusion around telehealth restrictions still limit the technology, health IT executives told Becker's.

Two Florida men have pleaded guilty for their involvement in a $67 million fraud scheme that used "deceptive telemarketing campaigns" that targeted Medicare. 

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute has approved $23 million in funding for three telehealth studies, including one involving Somerville, Mass.-based Mass General Brigham.

CMS proposed changes to the physician fee schedule that would provide physicians with additional compensation to account for balancing telehealth visits with maintaining their physical offices, Politico reported July 17.

Epic Video Client will replace the previous telemedicine platforms used at Corvallis, Ore.-based Samaritan Health Services starting in August.

Teladoc is partnering with Microsoft to integrate its artificial intelligence services, which can automate clinical documentation, on the company's telehealth platform. 

Even though telehealth appointments have continued to decline since the COVID-19 pandemic,  Cleveland Clinic said it is still betting on virtual care to lower costs and to reach patients who are more comfortable accessing care online, Ideastream Public Media reported July 17. 

Chapel Hill, N.C.-based UNC Health has partnered with federally qualified health center Chapel Hill-based Piedmont Health to combat maternal health inequities by creating a new virtual maternal-fetal medicine specialty consultation service.  

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin found that telehealth did not reduce costs or the number of future visits for patients with circulatory, respiratory or infectious diseases.

Intermountain Filmore (Utah) Community Hospital is seeing payoff from a telehealth program designed to help moms breastfeed. 

Here are the four most common telehealth diagnoses based on data from Fair Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, according to July 6 news release from Fair Health.

Physicians at Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Health's emergency department will now be able to connect to Salt Lake City-based Primary Children's Hospital trauma and pediatric ICU specialists via telehealth.

Telehealth utilization decreased across all regions in April, decreasing nationally by 5.4 percent month over month, according to a July 6 news release from Fair Health.