This week, Judge Talwani in the District Court of Massachusetts has dismissed American Well's patent suit against Teladoc. The federal judge ruled that its patent covering the basic provision of telehealth is invalid because the patent’s major elements are “too abstract” to be patentable and do not “amount to an inventive concept.” In response to the federal judge's decision, American Well plans to appeal the ruling. "American Well is the leading innovator in telehealth and we respectfully
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Technology
AMC Health Launches Remote Chronic Care Program in Midwest
AMC Health, a provider of virtual care solutions has launched a multifaceted remote chronic care program with a large independent regional health plan in the Midwest. The multi-year program is designed to monitor and treat the payor's Medicare populations with heart failure, pulmonary disease (COPD), and diabetes in their own homes to promote patient engagement, improve patient outcomes, and prevent costly acute episodes. The partnership marks AMC Health's third launch this year with a major
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AMA Adopts New Guidance for Ethical Practice in Telemedicine
On Monday at the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Annual Meeting, the AMA announced it will adopt new guidance for ethical practice in telemedicine for physicians. The new ethical guidance will will help physicians understand how their fundamental responsibilities may play out differently when patient interactions occur through telemedicine, compared to traditional patient interactions at a medical office or hospital.Developed The new ethical guidance on telehealth and telemedicine was
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St. Vincent’s Launches Virtual Care Platform Powered by Zipnosis
St. Vincent’s Medical Center has launched its own virtual care platform making MYvirtualcare.com – an online diagnosis and treatment service making it easier for patients to receive care for common health conditions. Powered by by Zipnosis that connects patients with St. Vincent’s clinicians, MYvirtualcare.com patients can now receive prompt care for conditions such as sinus infections, female bladder infections, pink eye, or colds, coughs, and the flu – for a set fee of $35, less than the cost
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Xerox: 61% of Americans Open to Receiving Virtual Care
With meaningful use incentives on the table and increasingly frustrated health exchange patients, healthcare providers both private and public are being urged to adopt more advanced health IT solutions. Like MUSC recently did with their telehealth adoption, more and more providers are looking for streamlined virtual health solutions that patients want, but more often than not don’t have.New research released today by Xerox indicates that while only 16 percent of Americans actually receive
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SingleCare Taps American Well to Power Telehealth Visits
SingleCare, an online retail marketplace for healthcare services, today announced a partnership with national telehealth provider American Well. The partnership will provide SingleCare members access to board-certified U.S. physicians, psychologists, and registered dietitians practicing on American Well’s Amwell™ consumer platform, for online video consults 24/7/365. Founded in 2014, SingleCare pre-negotiates prices for routine care that are up to 50 percent less than the provider's standard
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5 Best Practices for Leveraging Analytics in Population Health
McKesson’s Dr. Michael Blackman explains why actionable insights begin with strategic data management.For healthcare providers, value-based care isn’t just an operational incentive anymore, it’s now an imperative for basic survival. As a result, many executives now consider it vitally important to redesign health system services for population health, according a recent Advisory Board Company Survey.In fact, 52 percent of those surveyed were concerned about population health, making it the
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MUSC Integrates Telehealth Visits with Epic EHR Via Vidyo
Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) has simplified access to high quality remote consultations between clinicians and patients by deploying Epic’s telehealth and virtual care workflows tightly integrated with Vidyo’s real-time video communication platform. This solution creates a seamless workflow that makes it easier for doctors and patients to schedule, conduct video consults, record and access health information securely within the Epic portal. Virtual visits are the latest addition
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What FHIR Means for Interoperability and Its Potential in Population Health
Is FHIR the answer to healthcare interoperability problem? A look at the new protocols potential and why it could enhance pop health efforts, with insights from Wellcentive’s Phillip Burgher.Health information technology’s (HIT’s) potential may be expanding, but so is the size of its greatest challenge and elephant in the room—interoperability. The industry is riding a wave of evolution fueled by digital connection, yet there has never been a greater disconnect when it comes to utilizing digital
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3 Keys to Scaling Up Population Health Management for Providers
Financial incentives, technological advances and pioneering care models have provided fertile soil for the green shoots of population health to grow. But for these programs to flourish, they will need more sophisticated analytics, patient stratification, community involvement and care management.This week, PwC’s Health Research Institute (HRI) released “Population health: Scaling up,” where they interviewed executives in leading healthcare, research and academic institutions on how organizations
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