As hospital emergency rooms are dealing with staffing shortages, a spokesperson for Providence Centralia (Wa.) Hospital told The Chronicle March 8 that 20 to 25 percent of patients coming into their emergency room could receive telehealth care.

Drugs used to lose weight quickly have gained attention across social media and celebrity circles over the last year, fueling a rise in digital health startups that offer online prescriptions for drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, which are meant for treating diabetes.

National telehealth utilization grew by 3.8 percent in December claiming 5.5 percent of medical claim lines compared to 5.3 percent in November, according to Fair Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker. 

Virtual care improved treatment for heart failure patients at Somerville, Mass.-based Mass General Brigham, according to a March 6 study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

WeightWatchers has agreed to purchase telehealth company Sequence, which digitally prescribes weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, in a $132 million deal.

The American Telemedicine Association is naming CVS Health Chief Medical Officer Sree Chaguturu, MD, as chair-elect of the board of directors.

Great public appetite for weight loss drugs is fueling business for startups like NextMed, which pivoted from COVID-19 testing to online prescriptions for drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro, drawing criticism in the process. 

Terren Peizer, CEO of telehealth company Ontrak, has been indicted for insider trading to avoid millions of dollars in losses, according to a March 1 Justice Department news release.

The "doctor-does-it-all" approach doesn't work for in-person healthcare and isn't effective for telemedicine either, the American Medical Association says.

A new study from virtual health company KeyCare revealed that 68 percent of patients traveling who needed minor but urgent medical care consulted their regular clinicians via telehealth.

Telehealth startup Cerebral is laying off 15 percent of its staff, The Wall Street Journal reported Feb. 27. 

The Drug Enforcement Agency has proposed new rules for prescribing controlled substances via telemedicine after the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency expires. 

The American Hospital Association is backing legislation that would require the HHS, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission to study the expanded use of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Telemedicine adoption by Americans has reached 80 percent, becoming the preferred method of prescription care and minor illnesses, according to a Feb. 21 report from Rock Health. 

Teladoc said fourth-quarter revenue increased by 15 percent year-over-year to $637.71 million, according to the company's fourth quarter earnings released Feb. 22.  

Amwell retained key clients including New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health and payer giant Elevance Health and grew its health system contracts by 13 percent in 2022, the telehealth company said in a fourth-quarter earnings report and call.

Memphis, Tenn.-based Baptist Memorial Health Care launched an emergency services telehealth program for TennCare patients in three rural Tennessee counties, Fox affiliate WHBQ reported Feb. 20.

Memphis, Tenn.-based Baptist Memorial Health Care, one of the largest nonprofit systems in the country, said it will collaborate with LookDeep Health to expand its inpatient telehealth services.

Four hospital and health system leaders will be judges at the Telehealth Innovators Challenge at the American Telemedicine Association's annual conference March 6.

Below is a list of six hospitals and health systems that rolled out or announced new telehealth services since Feb. 7: