COVID-19 makes telemedicine more valuable; hub at Dartmouth-Hitchcock is ramping up Concord Monitor, March 21, 2020 Link
The state’s hub of telemedicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, is ramping up as the COVID outbreak spreads and its leader says that there’s no almost no limit to how much it should expand.
 
DEA okays telehealth to prescribe opioids amid COVID-19 emergency
mHealth Intelligence, March 18, 2020 Link
The move to telehealth will make it easier for providers to prescribe an opioid or other controlled substance during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
 
States move quickly to address coronavirus pandemic with telehealth
mHealth Intelligence, March 20, 2020 Link
Eighteen states and the District of Columbia have so far amended existing laws or issued new declarations to expand the use of telehealth and mHealth tool during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
 
Feds OK interstate licensing, paving way for telehealth expansion
mHealth Intelligence, March 19, 2020 Link
Vice President Mike Pence's announcement on Wednesday paves the way for providers to treat patients in other states, opening the door for expanded telehealth and mHealth programs.

Telehealth key to payer COVID-19 prevention, diagnosis, testing
mHealth Intelligence, March 18, 2020 Link
Payers are partnering are exploring ways to use telehealth in preventing, diagnosing, and testing for COVID-19. Examples are highlighted from the state of New York .
 
Surge in patients overwhelms telehealth services amid coronavirus pandemic
STAT, March 17, 2020 Link
Telehealth services are sagging under the weight of an unprecedented surge in patients as hospitals scramble to shift routine care online in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The crisis is stressing major telehealth providers’ technical infrastructure and the supply of physicians prepared to deliver care virtually.
 
Telehealth during COVID-19: How hospitals, healthcare providers are optimizing virtual care
American Journal of Managed Care In-Focus Blog, March 13, 2020 Link
While several barriers to care have inhibited telehealth in the past, recent actions by CMS, HHS, and other governing bodies have sought to expand its availability nationwide. Highlighted here is NYU Langone Health's telehealth service Virtual Urgent Care, which connects members with clinicians via phone or tablet to provide care without potential coronavirus exposure.
 
What happens when the doctors get sick with coronavirus?
Press release, Jefferson University Hospitals, March 12, 2020   htm
Telehealth is vital not just as a means of triaging patients, but also as safe way for quarantined doctors to continue to help with relief efforts .
 
Massachusetts expands telehealth coverage for COVID-19
mHealth Intelligence, March 16, 2020 Link
Governor Baker orders payers to cover in-network telehealth services for the treatment of COVID-19.
 
Opportunities to expand telehealth use amid the coronavirus pandemic
Health Affairs Blog, March 16, 2020 Link
This article highlights usage of telehealth for screening, triage, and treatment of coronavirus infection cases in China, New York, and Washington State and efforts by the U.S. government to expand Medicare and Medicaid coverage of telehealth services.
 
Analysis: the hope and hype of telehealth and COVID-19
Daily Yonder, March 13, 2020 Link
President Trump has mentioned telehealth as part of the response to COVID-19. That approach raises serious questions about the digital divide and rural residents’ lack of broadband access.
 
Governor Lamont working with health insurers to assure preparedness for coronavirus outbreak including coverage for testing costs
Press release, Connecticut Office of Governor, March 10, 2020 Link
Governor Ned Lamont has announced that in order to prepare for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), his administration is working with health insurance carriers in Connecticut to cover the costs for COVID-19 testing and to assure, in accordance with the provisions of a new statute.

Industry leans on telehealth to tackle COVID-19 outbreak
mHealth Intelligence, March 10, 2020 Link
As the COVID-19 outbreak encroaches into communities across the US, payers, providers, and vendors are using telehealth to expand access to care. Policies from Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and other health insurance providers are highlighted.
 
CMS launches new Medicare payment model for 911 triage by telehealth
mHealth Intelligence, February 28, 2020 Link
CMS has selected more than 200 ambulance providers around the country to participate in the Emergency Triage, Treat and Transport (ET3) Model, which favors telehealth programs that assess 911 calls prior to transport.
 
Feds target telehealth for emergency services in new grant program
mHealth Intelligence, February 27, 2020 Link
Some $8.7 million is being made available through the HRSA's Telehealth Network Grant Program for rural providers looking to use telemedicine to extend emergency services like stroke, behavioral health and EMS care.