New Hampshire is launching a telehealth service through a partnership with Newport-based On-Site Medical Services that will work to expand Paxlovid access in the state, NHPR reported Nov. 3. 

Because of nursing shortages, many health systems and hospitals are looking at virtual care models to reduce the strain on frontline caregivers.

School districts across the country are using telehealth to provide care to their students, and telehealth companies are looking at school districts as potential customers.

Telehealth company DocGo has received a $90 million line of credit, with Citibank acting as the administrative agent for the transaction.

Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Parkview Health has selected virtual care company Veta Health to perform its telehealth monitoring.

Telehealth company DocGo has launched an app allowing Epic EHR users to track and request DocGo services. 

A new study sponsored by KeyCare, a virtual care company built with Epic, found that it was "very important" to 79 percent of patients that their telehealth provider and their regular physician both have access to their health records.

Travis County, Texas, is implementing Tele911 telehealth services into its emergency response system, Fox 7 Austin reported Oct. 28.

Danbury, Conn.-based Nuvance Health system is launching the Neuroglee Connect system to monitor at-home patients with mild cognitive impairments.

Below is a list of investments that health systems made in virtual care startups, programs and initiatives in October: 

Medtech company Sleepiz has joined the American Telemedicine Association after registering its remote sleep monitoring device with the FDA in July.

Teladoc reported a 17 percent revenue increase to $611 million in the third quarter, up from $522 million in 2021. 

MercyOne Clinton (Iowa) Medical Center has created a new service that allows patients to receive neurological care through telehealth. 

School-based telehealth company Hazel Health has expanded to 14 states and is now serving more than 2.5 million students.

Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente is creating a "hybrid" or "fluid" model of healthcare, mixing video visits, remote monitoring and "telesitting" — along with in-person treatment — to give patients care where and how they need it, said Edward Lee, MD, executive vice president of IT and CIO of the Permanente Federation.

Mobile health company DocGo has expanded the service area of DocGo On-Demand, a service that allows patients in New York City and New Jersey to request same-day house calls or telehealth services.

Patients with disabilities in California, New York and Massachusetts use telehealth more often than those in the South, Politico reported Oct. 25. 

Startup incubator and conglomerate Rokit has launched Diskuss, a mental health telehealth service available in the United States, the United Kingdom and India.

Telehealth startup Cerebral is preparing to cut about 20 percent of its staff as the company looks to streamline operations, The Wall Street Journal reported Oct. 24. 

Telehealth is clearly here to stay, and it isn't just COVID behind the trend. Other factors — the move to value-based care, staffing shortages resulting in delayed care, more favorable provider views on the merits of telehealth and increasing consumer preferences for convenience — are all driving a major shift toward a hybrid healthcare model that combines traditional avenues of in-person care with telehealth and technology-based solutions.