Medicare beneficiaries who utilized telehealth tools for the treatment of opioid use disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic saw a 33 percent lower risk of a fatal drug overdose, according to a March 29 study published in JAMA Psychiatry.

National telehealth utilization declined by 79 percent from 2020 to 2021, according to Fair Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker. 

Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital is launching a new telehealth program that will allow Intermountain clinicians to remotely advise clinicians in neonatal intensive care units at four hospitals in Utah and one in Montana, local news outlet ABC4 reported March 28.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is introducing the "Telehealth Expansion Act of 2023," a bill that, if enacted, would allow people with health savings accounts and high-deductible health plans to permanently access telehealth. 

Teladoc announced it will provide free virtual care to Mississippi residents affected by recent tornadoes. 

The Federal Trade Commission said it is expecting to look into more telehealth startups who are sharing consumer data with third parties, The Wall Street Journal reported March 26. 

Hartford, Conn.-based Trinity Health of New England's Chief Clinical Officer, Syed Hussain, MD, said newer forms of healthcare delivery, such as telehealth and home-care services have been helping retain its workforce, Yale Daily News reported March 27. 

Love.Life, a health and wellness company co-founded and run by former Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, acquired Plant Based TeleHealth, a telehealth service focusing on the prevention and reversal of chronic conditions.

Akron, Ohio, has been working to reduce the load on its emergency services and ambulance fleet through a telehealth pilot program where patients can receive virtual care from clinicians at Cleveland Clinic Akron General, the Akron Beacon Journal reported March 22.

TikTok and telehealth are driving a shortage of the weight-loss drug Ozempic, CNN reported March 17.

Newark, Del.-based ChristianaCare is offering patients a subscription service for virtual primary care services offering faster and more personalized care, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported March 16. 

The American Telemedicine Association selected four companies for its 2023 innovation challenge award at its second annual conference.

New York City-based Mount Sinai is partnering with the New York Public Library to offer digital literacy classes for individuals trying to access healthcare via telehealth or through electronic information technologies. 

St. Louis-based Mercy is partnering with tech-focused at-home care company Maribel Health to develop new at-home care programs, including a hospital-at-home program.

Patients at Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health can now use the My Sanford Chart website or app to schedule a virtual behavioral health appointment, keloland.com reported March 14.

Telehealth and mobile health company DocGo announced that since the start of 2023, the company has secured $180 million in new contracts over the next three years.

Charlotte, N.C.-based Novant Health is partnering with rural YMCAs across North Carolina to install telehealth portals in the community centers, the Triad Business Journal reported March 9.

The Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation, a foundation created by Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and his family, is partnering with telehealth company Antidote Health to provide free mental health telehealth services to Milwaukee residents.

Fifty-five percent of VA patients in rural areas used telemedicine during the pandemic compared to 60 percent of patients in urban areas, according to a March 7 study published in JAMA Open Network.

Telehealth startup Cerebral sent letters to patients March 6 stating that some of their information may have been disclosed to social media companies when it used pixel tracking technologies on its mobile applications and websites, LegalScoops reported.