CVS, Walmart, Rite Aid and Walgreens have entered the telehealth market to make mental healthcare more accessible, according to a May 7 article by The New York Times.

With the rapid adoption of telehealth over the past year, West Virginia University researchers are exploring patient trends to decipher the appropriate number of visits and lengths patients should partake, according to a May 7 news release.

As COVID-19 vaccines continue to be rolled out and a post-pandemic world seems within reach, it is still important to reflect on the past year and how Amwell clients exemplified telehealth excellence and led the way in providing and expanding access to quality care.

COVID-19 has forever changed healthcare and consequently has led to a massive acceleration in the use of telehealth.

Three telemarketing company owners have been charged for their alleged participation in a $46 million healthcare fraud, money laundering and kickback scheme for referring medically unnecessary cancer genetic tests to labs for kickbacks, the Justice Department said May 3.

Virtual care was a vital part of medical care during the pandemic, but as the pandemic curbs, so should telehealth, Elisabeth Rosenthal, MD, former emergency room physician and editor-in-chief of Kaiser Health News, wrote in an April 29 op-ed published in The New York Times.

Telehealth usage among individuals with private insurers fell month-over-month for the first time since September, dropping by 16 percent in February, according to healthcare data cost organization Fair Health.

Cigna has expanded its virtual care coverage since the start of the pandemic, as well as added virtual provider partners such as online mental health care services Ginger and Talkspace.

Wellesley, Mass.-based Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Doctor On Demand teamed up to launch virtual choice — a plan that allows adult patients to choose if they want to receive primary care virtually or in person.

Teladoc Health more than doubled its first quarter revenue for 2021 compared to the same period a year prior, but posted a net loss of $199.6 million for the quarter.

The Federal Communications Commission has opened applications for its second round of COVID-19 telehealth funding, according to a news release.

Ro, a direct-to-consumer telehealth app for pharmacy services, inked its first retail collaboration with Walmart, the companies announced April 28. 

Amwell on April 28 unveiled its new Converge telehealth platform, which can host and operate digital offerings from Cleveland Clinic, Google Cloud and others.

Telehealth can bridge the gap between rural residents and quality care and make preventive care more accessible to busy patients. However, major changes must be made to ensure telehealth is equitable, affordable and accessible to everyone, according to an April 26 op-ed in the Boston Globe.

Chattanooga, Tenn.-based telehealth company VisuWell has terminated its CEO Sam Johnson after he was seen on a TikTok video appearing to harass a boy who wore a dress to his prom April 24, NBC News reports. 

With Amazon and Optum both expanding into telehealth, some hospitals and health systems are looking at the disruptors for inspiration and potential partnerships.

Teladoc Health named Claus Jensen, PhD, who currently serves as chief digital officer and head of technology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, as the company's new chief innovation officer. 

IRVING, Texas (BUSINESS WIRE), April 23, 2021 - Vizient, Inc. today released its analysis of data that show telehealth visits trending at roughly 22% of all patient visits for January 2021, a significant increase from 0.3% of visits prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The healthcare industry has been rapidly digitalizing its services since the start of the pandemic. As more in-person provider appointments become available, many patients would still prefer a telehealth visit, according to a recent study by The Harris Poll.

Accolade, a healthcare technology and benefits firm, plans to buy telemedicine startup PlushCare to begin offering virtual primary care and mental health consultations to its members, the company said April 23.