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Jun 26, 2025·prweb.com

Caregility has partnered with Arkansas Children's Hospital to introduce a specialized digital health solution aimed at enhancing care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The collaboration has resulted in a purpose-built NICU cart that supports continuous observation, remote specialist consultations, tele-resuscitation, and tele-simulation. Equipped with multiple audio and video streams, night vision, and precision camera controls, the device integrates seamlessly with Caregility’s Connected Care™ platform, enabling clinicians to deliver more connected and continuous care. This innovation underscores Caregility's commitment to agile, customer-led design and aims to improve access, safety, and outcomes for vulnerable infants .

Jun 24, 2025·Healthcare IT News

The Kennedy Krieger Institute launched the START telemedicine program to reduce wait times for children with developmental disabilities and neurologic issues, which had averaged 237 days. Initiated in February 2024 and led by Dr. Paul Lipkin, the program emerged from a need to enhance access to care amid high demand and workforce limitations. Utilizing video communications, START enables early, personalized assessments through remote interviews with families, transforming the traditional in-person care model and improving the overall efficiency of the intake process.

Jun 19, 2025·Becker's Hospital Review

Hospital-at‑Home 2.0 marks the shift from pandemic-era pilot programs to large-scale, strategic adoption by health systems looking to deeply integrate inpatient care at home. Launched under CMS’s 2020 waiver, initial programs have expanded significantly—Allegheny Health Network grew from about 7-8 admissions per month in early 2024 to roughly 40; Mass General Brigham has moved into optimization, filling a 70-bed home unit and adding post‑op, oncology, and postpartum hypertension care; ChristianaCare built a centralized 24/7 command center and launched skilled‑nursing‑at‑home; and University of Chicago Medicine is partnering with payers to fortify financial sustainability. Across the board, systems are refining patient selection, scaling admission volumes, broadening eligibility, and preparing for potential shifts in federal reimbursement as the acute hospital care waiver faces possible expiration in September—underscoring the need for sustainable funding models and payer collaboration.

Jun 17, 2025·Healthcare IT News

Prime Healthcare is leveraging acute care telemedicine to enhance patient care across its network of 51 hospitals and over 360 outpatient locations. With nearly 57,000 employees, the provider is focused on delivering 24/7 specialist consultations in emergency departments, improving timely diagnoses and treatment plans, particularly for patients in remote areas. By implementing a telemedicine platform from Equum Medical, hospital staff can connect with specialists, who can access electronic health records to provide immediate care, addressing access challenges and promoting equitable healthcare in medically underserved regions.

Jun 17, 2025·MedCity News

Wearable devices are reshaping cancer care by enabling continuous, real-world monitoring of patients throughout treatment. They provide clinicians with rich streams of biometric data that help gauge fitness levels, track side effects, and predict complications earlier than traditional, episodic check-ins. Systematic reviews involving thousands of patients show high adherence (often over 80%), revealing wearables’ feasibility for treatment monitoring, rehabilitation, and prognostication. Moreover, emerging AI‑driven platforms (e.g., CardioAI for detecting treatment‑induced cardiac risk) promise to integrate wearable data with predictive analytics to catch adverse events preemptively. As evidence mounts, these tools are poised to move oncology toward personalized, proactive care—shifting from reactive visits to near‑real‑time, data-informed interventions.

Jun 4, 2025·HealthSystemCIO.com

At Brooke Army Medical Center, Col. Chani Cordero is fostering collaboration between IT and nursing leaders to enhance patient care through digital transformation, exemplified by the successful tele-sitter program. This initiative replaced traditional patient monitoring with remote observation, preventing nearly 3,000 falls in its first year and saving the equivalent of 60 full-time staff. Cordero emphasizes the need for ongoing feedback from nursing staff to refine IT solutions and address operational challenges, while a structured governance approach ensures that technology initiatives align with strategic goals. This shift has redefined IT's role from reactive support to a strategic partner in healthcare delivery.

May 29, 2025·MedCity News

Sanford Health is investing in virtual care to address workforce shortages and access issues in rural healthcare. During the Reuters Digital Health conference, Chief Medical Officer Jeremy Cauwels discussed how this approach not only provides services but also supports training and community health initiatives. With virtual care available across 79 specialties, patients save an average of 176 miles per visit, easing travel burdens. This model is especially important for maternal care, as the decline in community hospitals with obstetric services has created care gaps. By using virtual tools for real-time patient assessments and alternating between virtual and in-person visits, Sanford aims to improve continuity of care and enhance maternal and fetal health outcomes, while reducing unnecessary emergency room visits.

May 13, 2025·Healthcare IT News

Hackensack Meridian Health has introduced a virtual nursing program designed to reduce the administrative workload for bedside nurses, enabling them to prioritize patient care. By integrating virtual nursing staff into existing healthcare systems, the initiative has successfully improved patient interactions and discharge processes. The program, developed with telemedicine partners Equum Medical and AvaSure, allows on-site clinical teams to receive real-time support for non-clinical tasks, ultimately enhancing job satisfaction. Future expansions will include AI-driven tools to facilitate communication and coordination between virtual and onsite nursing staff.

May 5, 2025·Healthcare IT News

Starting January 1, 2025, New York State Medicaid will begin reimbursing remote patient monitoring (RPM) services delivered by clinical staff, allowing for broader access to healthcare for residents. Healthcare professionals will receive $41.80 for every 30-day period spent managing remote monitoring under CPT code 99457. This expansion permits clinical staff like pharmacists and registered dietitians to offer these services under a physician's guidance, aiming to improve healthcare delivery. Alexandria Foley, RN, from Brook Health, highlights that RPM enables early identification and management of chronic conditions, fostering better patient outcomes. Brook Health utilizes an AI-powered platform to monitor various chronic illnesses, analyzing health data to provide tailored recommendations and insights for patients.

Apr 27, 2025·HealthLeaders

Mount Sinai Health System is advancing its virtual nursing initiative, aimed at reducing the documentation workload for nurses by shifting responsibilities to virtual staff. Chief Nursing Informatics Officer Clair Lunt noted the gradual nature of the program's development, as the health system faces challenges like staffing shortages and rising costs. Launched in 2024, the Virtual Nursing Mastermind program aims to expand its functions, including drop-in rounds, facilitated by high-resolution cameras in patient rooms. However, ongoing staffing issues have necessitated reliance on third-party vendors for virtual nursing staff, with potential future discussions about extending the program beyond hospital settings still pending.

Apr 22, 2025·HealthTech Magazine

Over the past five years, healthcare's approach to telehealth has evolved from a pandemic-driven necessity to a foundational component of hybrid care models. According to experts - including Joseph Kvedar, MD - telehealth has become an accepted mode of care, integrating virtual visits, remote patient monitoring, and AI-driven diagnostics. While initial momentum has leveled off, advancements like hospital-at-home programs and command center-driven care models have gained traction, enabling continuous patient monitoring. Policy changes and technological innovations continue to shape the future of connected care, solidifying telehealth's role in the healthcare landscape.

Apr 21, 2025·Medical Economics

A remote patient monitoring (RPM) program from Michigan Medicine has successfully reduced hospitalizations by 59% among high-risk patients, as reported in a study published in Telemedicine and e-Health. Analyzing over 1,100 encounters, the study highlights the benefits of consistent at-home monitoring of vital signs, combined with prompt clinical support, in preventing readmissions for conditions like congestive heart failure and uncontrolled hypertension. Launched in April 2020, the program equips participants with Bluetooth-enabled devices for vital sign tracking, with data reviewed daily by a healthcare team that can intervene as needed. The average hospital admissions decreased from 1.38 to 0.57 in six months post-enrollment, even showing a 49% reduction when excluding COVID-19 cases.

Apr 15, 2025·Home Health Care News

A bipartisan group of 60 senators has reintroduced the CONNECT for Health Act to make COVID-19 era telehealth flexibilities permanent, as they are set to expire on September 30. The legislation aims to eliminate geographic restrictions, expand originating sites to patients’ homes, remove in-person visit requirements for telemental health, and increase transparency around telehealth usage. Senators supporting the bill emphasize its potential to improve healthcare accessibility, particularly in rural areas. The act has a history of previous introductions since 2016 and aligns with the National Alliance for Care at Home's objectives to enhance telehealth in home-based care.

Apr 15, 2025·Nature

The rise of virtual urgent care (VUC) is transforming healthcare access, particularly through expanding direct-to-consumer telehealth services, which, valued at $1.47 billion in 2023, are expected to grow. The Southern California Permanente Medical Group's Get Care Now (GCN) program, launched in October 2021, offers 24/7 virtual consultations for non-life-threatening conditions, recording over 1.3 million patient interactions to date. Integrated into SCPMG's value-based healthcare model, GCN enhances traditional urgent care by providing accessible, patient-centered care without additional fees, while promoting long-term health outcomes. Data from the program shows strong patient engagement and successful digital adoption.

Apr 9, 2025·Becker's Hospital Review

University Hospitals in Cleveland is expanding its hybrid virtual nursing model to two emergency departments and an entire hospital, allowing nurses to provide bedside care while utilizing a remote care hub. This initiative aims to improve team-based care by incorporating virtual capabilities across all hospital units, enabling greater involvement from nursing staff, providers, and family in patient care. The expansion follows positive feedback from initial implementations, which showed increased patient and caregiver engagement. As the health system moves forward, it will monitor safety metrics and contribute to the growing trend of virtual care in hospitals, although it acknowledges that solutions may vary across different settings.

Apr 7, 2025·HealthSystemCIO.com

UMass Memorial Health's Hospital-at-Home program has successfully admitted its 3,000th patient, highlighting its role in providing effective care while easing the burden on traditional hospitals. Initiated in August 2021 due to increased patient volumes during the COVID-19 pandemic, the program utilizes telehealth, remote monitoring, and in-home services to deliver hospital-level care for conditions such as pneumonia and heart failure. Supported by federal waivers for reimbursement, the program has expanded steadily, requiring robust technology infrastructure for efficient care coordination, including patient monitoring devices linked to the health system's Epic EMR.

Mar 17, 2025·Chief Healthcare Executive

Congress has passed a short-term federal spending package extending telehealth and hospital-at-home programs until the end of September, allowing continued virtual care access for patients. Despite this extension, which comes as federal waivers were set to expire, advocates expressed disappointment over the absence of a longer-term solution for healthcare planning. Additionally, the package failed to address impending cuts to Medicare payments to physicians, which has drawn criticism from medical professionals and organizations. This stagnation raises concerns about the sustainability of care for Medicare beneficiaries as some providers reconsider accepting Medicare patients.

Mar 12, 2025·Talkspace

Talkspace is collaborating with the U.S. Navy to launch a pilot program offering free virtual mental health services to around 25,000 sailors and their dependents at six naval bases, including Newport News and Puget Sound. This initiative allows eligible participants, including sailors and dependents aged 13 and older, to access unlimited messaging therapy, live video sessions, and a self-guided mental health program via Talkspace’s licensed providers. The services are available on a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform to ensure user confidentiality.

Feb 25, 2025·Forbes

The healthcare industry is undergoing a transformation due to digital health ecosystems, which promote a shift from traditional hospital-centric care to more accessible options like telehealth and remote monitoring. Initially adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic, these technologies have become essential for enhancing patient accessibility, efficiency, and personalization. By integrating patients, providers, and payers through various tools, these ecosystems create a more interconnected system that allows for anytime, anywhere care while achieving cost savings. However, challenges such as limited broadband access in rural areas and increasing cybersecurity threats need to be addressed, prompting healthcare leaders to invest in necessary infrastructure improvements.

Feb 9, 2025·LinkedIn

Houston Methodist has introduced a Virtual Hospitalist program to improve care for patients admitted overnight in the emergency department, addressing the need for timely medical attention during off-peak hours. Utilizing technology such as wall-mounted cameras and mobile carts, virtual hospitalists can remotely connect with patients, enhancing the admission process and potentially leading to shorter hospital stays and increased patient satisfaction. Since its launch in late 2024, the program has admitted over 500 patients and received positive feedback, notably improving communication between virtual hospitalists and bedside nursing staff. This integration facilitates better information sharing and more responsive care for patients during critical admission periods.