Digital Health News

A recent study has shed light on the widening telehealth gap between rural and urban VA beneficiaries in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research, entitled “Rates of Primary Care and Integrated Mental Health Telemedicine Visits Between Rural and Urban Veterans Affairs (VA) Beneficiaries Before and After the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic,” emphasizes the pressing need to confront this inequality in healthcare accessibility. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has long promoted telemedicine as a tool for expanding healthcare access, especially for nearly 5 million rural patients across 50 states. Despite the VHA’s efforts to bridge the digital divide…

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a significant increase in telehealth adoption to address various health concerns, including mental health issues like depression and anxiety. The impact of telehealth services on patient engagement and outcomes in the field of behavioral health was explored in a new study, which was featured in the Medical Care supplement of the Lippincott portfolio of Wolters Kluwer. Before the pandemic, the CDC’s 2019 National Health Interview Survey revealed that 4.7% of US adults aged 18 and above experienced consistent feelings of depression. This number surged in 2020, with 30.9% of adults reporting symptoms of anxiety or…

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of telemedicine, presenting new opportunities for healthcare access to historically underserved populations, including transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) youth. A recent study conducted at the Seattle Children’s Gender Clinic (SCGC) explored the impact of telemedicine on access to gender-affirming care for TGD adolescents during this challenging period. The study discovered that the expansion of telemedicine services facilitated continued access to essential gender-affirming care throughout the pandemic. Telemedicine encounters were more likely to be completed and less likely to be canceled, suggesting a significant improvement in overall care access. This finding supports existing research highlighting…

A new report has found that the majority of Americans feel uncomfortable with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in their healthcare. According to the Pew Research Center, six in ten U.S. adults say they would feel uneasy if their healthcare provider relied on AI to diagnose and recommend treatments, while only 39% say they would feel comfortable with it. The report explored American’s attitudes toward four specific applications of AI in healthcare that are either in use today or being developed for widespread use. These applications are AI-based tools for skin cancer screening, AI-driven robots that can perform parts…

A recent study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has shown that total preoperative telemedicine in bariatric surgery is associated with noninferior clinical outcomes and hospital utilization compared with traditional, in-person patient care. The study highlights the advantages of telemedicine in terms of cost and time savings, which may facilitate access to bariatric surgery for the underserved. Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for medically refractory weight loss in people with severe obesity. However, low-income patients and patients from minoritized racial and ethnic groups have difficulty accessing health care, which makes them less likely to consider bariatric…

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a founding member of Mass General Brigham, have identified a potential issue with biorepositories created to support precision cancer research and their vast stores of genomic data: lack of sufficient representation of cancer distribution among racial and ethnic minorities. MGH is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. With an annual research budget of over $1 billion, its Mass General Research Institute is the most extensive hospital-based research program in the United States. It includes more than 9,500 researchers working in more than 30 institutes, centers and departments. In the paper…

A new report from JAMA Network Open has revealed that the implementation of telehealth at an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center has led to a considerable decrease in carbon emissions. This suggests that virtual care could be a great way to reduce the environmental impact of healthcare. In 2020, global CO2 emissions decreased significantly due to the restrictions prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The US led this reduction with a nearly 13% decrease, mostly due to decreases in transportation. In the US, health care sector GHG emissions rose by 6% from 2008 to 2018. In response to the climate emergency, over…

Lorra Garey, a researcher from the University of Houston RESTORE Lab, has been granted $1.3 million from the National Institute of Drug Abuse to lead a research project assessing the effects of a mobile health (mHealth) application in reducing smoking among Black people living with HIV.  The global population has been greatly affected by HIV, a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that 40 million people have died from the virus, and the US Department of Veterans Affairs noted that 20 percent of US citizens with HIV don’t realize they have it….

A new study has demonstrated that several sociodemographic and health-related factors, such as age, gender, education, and depressive symptoms, are significantly linked to the long-term use of digital health technologies. The research, which was published in npj Digital Medicine, sought to determine the long-term use of digital health devices and apps in different studies. Smartphones, smartwatches, and Bluetooth-enabled devices are becoming more and more prevalent in health research as they enable the tracking of an extensive array of health behaviors and help patients to manage their diseases more effectively. However, researchers highlighted that one of the primary issues with digital…

Several program integrity risks associated with telehealth billing, such as duplicate billing and ordering needless durable medical equipment or laboratory testing, have been revealed in a study by a watchdog committee as telehealth use surged throughout healthcare programs offered by federal agencies.  During the initial year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee’s (PRAC) Health Care Subgroup published a study that investigates the usage of telehealth within selected healthcare programs across six federal agencies. The organizations investigated include Medicare, TRICARE, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, the Office…

The American Medical Association (AMA) and Manatt Health has published a Blueprint for Optimizing Digitally Enabled Care, which outlines six pillars that can aid in the optimization of digital health practices, with the aim of addressing negative outcomes associated with virtual healthcare. The AMA claims that there is great potential for digitally enabled care. According to the organization, there are several factors that influence how digitally enabled care develops and how it may be utilized to increase access and care quality, including investments, technology adoption, and patient demands. “When equitably designed and thoughtfully integrated, digital health tools can effectively augment…

According to a recent scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA), telehealth may efficiently deliver cardiovascular care while lowering costs, enhancing care quality, and expanding access to treatment, despite current barriers to technological availability. The AHA is a nonprofit group dedicated to enhancing treatment for heart disease and stroke. The association provided extensive information on the effects of telehealth use on the management of cardiovascular disease in a scientific statement that was published in the AHA’s flagship publication Circulation (CVD). Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth has seen a huge increase in utilization. Up to 30 percent of all US…

In order to increase the use of telehealth, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently published a guide that included a number of suggestions and strategies for continued telehealth adoption. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the value of telehealth in providing healthcare to everybody, particularly to those who reside in rural locations and underprivileged populations. Even in nations with the most advanced healthcare systems, it has been difficult to guarantee widespread adoption and long-term sustainable access to telehealth services. Despite the fact that these services have typically been effective and accessible, the WHO has emphasized that there is still potential for improvement…

A recent study has found that Americans, notably Black Americans and adults with less than a high school education, became more eager to participate in video-based telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study, which was carried out by nonprofit research group RAND Corp., included responses from 1,600 US adults who took part in the RAND American Life Panel. The primary focus of the survey was the respondents utilization of and attitudes regarding telemedicine. Survey participants completed the survey in February 2019, May 2020, August 2020, and March 2021. According to a research published in Health Affairs, the proportion of Americans…

According to a new study reported in the Patient Experience Journal that examined patient experience surveys, individuals’ satisfaction with telehealth consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic was comparable to the satisfaction they experienced with in-person care. As a result of the telehealth waivers during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers learned valuable information on the advantages of telehealth for patients looking for main and specialized care. However, maintaining the usage of the care method is contingent on patient satisfaction. Therefore, in order to gauge patient satisfaction with video-based telehealth, researchers performed the study. In conducting the study, researchers evaluated patients’ experience with telehealth…

Despite the advantages of using telehealth, a recent study reported in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine indicated that virtual physical therapy (PT) patients were less satisfied with their treatment than those who had it in person.  Due to COVID-19 pandemic limits on in-person care, PT had a strong adoption in telehealth utilization among patients compared to most other disciplines. When in-person treatment was once again accessible, researchers wanted to understand how it compared to it in regards to patient accessibility and satisfaction. The return to in-person care following the reduction in COVID-19 patients after the first increase in 2020…

The first phase of a research collaboration with Mayo Clinic to expand care to postpartum patients was revealed by Memora Health, the leading intelligent, clinically proven care application for virtual care delivery and complex care management. The program will enable maternity service teams to provide postpartum patients more attention and support in between sessions, enabling them to have a more connected relationship with care while also alleviating the workload on clinical and administrative patient care providers.  In order to create a more dynamic care journey that is suited towards each client’s requirements, Memora’s Artificial intelligence-backed, digitized care programs are designed…

A recent study published in JAMA Network Open has discovered that patients who had telehealth follow-up visits after consulting the emergency department (ED) were more likely to visit the ED again and be admitted to the hospital than those who received follow-up visits in person. The UCLA study compared hospitalization rates and subsequent ED visits for patients who had in-person follow-ups following their first ED visits to those who had virtual follow-up visits. The data included 12,848 adult patients who had visited one of the two EDs at an integrated urban academic health between April 1, 2020, and September 30,…

A study published by researchers from the University of California San Diego has found text messaging as a viable method for reducing virtual waiting times for patients. In the modern era of technology, customers expect instant access to goods and services. These expectations also apply to healthcare. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth use has increased rapidly in order to limit the spread of the virus. Telehealth has been found to eliminate geographical, temporal, or travel-related barriers to healthcare access by bridging the disconnect between the needs of the patient and provider availability. However, despite the extensive use…

One of the biggest health systems in the Southeast, Ochsner Health, recently published the results of a new pilot program that shows how remote patient management and access to digital medicine can help Medicaid patients with chronic diseases like hypertension and type 2 diabetes achieve better results. Ochsner Health is an integrated healthcare system that provides care in various areas including cancer, cardiology, neurosciences, and developing technologies. The health system operates 47 hospitals and 370 health and urgent care facilities in the Southeastern United States, which includes over 36,000 employees and 4,600 physicians in more than 90 different medical specialities. …

According to a study published in JAMA Network Open, the majority of opioid use disorder (OUD) patients used telehealth to receive medication, and of those, about 50 percent engaged in telephone-only consultations rather than video. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Washington in order to provide viable data to policymakers as they determine the future of telehealth use in healthcare.  The study was based on data on over 17,000 veterans nationwide who had received OUD treatment between March 23, 2020 and March 22, 2021 provided by the Veterans Health Administration. The researchers examined OUD treatment access…

In an effort to improve patient comfort and convenience, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Amedisys, and Cotessa have formed a partnership to develop a comprehensive program composed of a variety of care-at-home services. The partnership comes as the desire for home-based care continues to increase. According to Amadesys’ press release, 90 percent of Amercans over 50 prefer to remain in their homes and age in place.  “UAMS is leading the ambitious goal of making Arkansas the healthiest state in the region, and this strategic initiative supercharges that vision,” said Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, UAMS chancellor and CEO…

Bentonville, Arkansas-based Walmart has recently announced the launch of the Walmart Healthcare Institute (WHRI) in an effort to improve community access to healthcare research which may contribute to the development of safer and more equitable healthcare.  According to the statement released on October 11, 2022, the will aim to develop interventions and medications that benefit underrepresented groups such as senior citizens, rural residents, women, and people of color. The first focus of WHRI will be to include members of these groups in research for chronic conditions and innovative treatments. For Walmart, clinical trials have historically recruited individuals who reside close…

A study has been released by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania which evaluated the Fast Track to Fertility Program at Penn Medicine. The program was implemented to increase access to fertility care for patients who are having difficulty getting pregnant. The researchers discovered that the program is highly successful, with results demonstrating shorter wait times, more patients served, lower no-show rates, and higher patient satisfaction.  According to the press release, the Fast Track to Fertility program reduced the time it took for patients to receive their first treatment from initial request by half….

Limbix has announced a collaboration with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) for a research project to assess SparkRx, an additional therapy for teenagers with depressive symptoms, in settings that provide specialized medical care. For teenagers, ages 13 to 22, SparkRx is a self-directed, digital treatment approach based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). According to Limbix’s press release, SparkRx delivers a compelling, research-based program straight to teenagers’ smartphones. With the use of this online therapy, Limbix claims, teenagers may better understand their depression and develop coping mechanisms to control its symptoms. Limbix is a virtual reality and digital treatment tool developer….

Researchers at Stanford Health Care have found evidence that indicates the quality of virtual care provided to low-acuity patients at Stanford Health Care’s emergency department is equal to that of standard care procedures. In order to resist the disruption to treatment provision caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Stanford Health Care chose to expedite the implementation of its strategy to incorporate virtual visits into clinical care in December of 2020.  The medical system changed its current ED Fast Track care unit to a Virtual Visit Track as part of the acceleration. According to data published in the NEJM Catalyst case study,…

A JAMA Network Study that compared the diagnostic concordance of various treatment modalities discovered high levels of diagnostic concordance between telehealth and in-person visits overall. In order to address the concerns associated with viral exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous healthcare organizations switched in-person appointments to video telehealth visits. As a result, telehealth utilization grew exponentially. Experts believe that the shift in patient volume from physical clinical visits to video telehealth services will likely have a long-lasting effect on how healthcare is provided in the long term. However, the lack of telehealth research may make it difficult for clinicians to…

Despite the widespread desire for in-person treatment among adults over 65, many were content with telemedicine throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and want it to be available going forward, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS). During the COVID-19 crisis, many patients and healthcare professionals turned to telehealth since limitations on in-person care were being implemented. Seniors in particular benefited from telehealth’s ability to keep care accessible throughout this period, but the research team at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center wanted to determine how satisfied these elderly patients were with their virtual care. The…

A study released by the Health Affairs’ September Issue has found that the growth in remote patient monitoring during the Covid-19 pandemic was driven by a small percentage of primary care physicians who used random patient selection techniques. The study examined billing for RPM for patients who suffer from chronic illnesses diagnosis. The device has received praise for its potential to significantly enhance patient care for those with undermanaged chronic illnesses. According to the report, billing in this sector grew 400 percent, and a select group of primary care physicians were mostly responsible. Patients with more severe disease burdens or…

A study recently published by the American Medical Association (AMA) research team has revealed rising rates of digital health use among physicians since 2016 and offers details on their expectations. Digital health provides a wide range of tools that can enhance medical treatment, facilitate lifestyle changes, and increase operational efficiency and includes technological advancements in mHealth, wearables, monitoring systems, applications, and telemedicine and telehealth.  According to AMA, the survey’s objective was to learn more about physicians’ reasons for adopting digital health technology and their needs for doing so. It included responses from people of various ages and specializations. The researchers…

A study conducted by researchers at the University of London has revealed that artificial-intelligence-powered chronic condition platform, Juli, uses technology to provide patients with information to effectively manage their long-term mental health disorders. According to a recent study, distressing psychological symptoms can be reduced by combining digital self-monitoring, AI, and targeted behavioral modifications. The technology was initially founded to support conditions that need specialized mental health treatment such as bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is a chronic, recurrent episodic condition with high rates of hospitalization, suicide, and co-morbidity. The condition’s characteristics include periods of extremely low moods and high moods. In…

Atrium Health has announced ambitions to introduce telehealth services targeted at students enrolled in American schools. A 10 million dollar donation from the Bank of America has enabled the launch of the “Meaningful Medicine” initiative. The introduction of the program will initially involve 20 elementary schools, 10 middle and high schools based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The elementary schools will receive school-based virtual care, while telemental services will be offered to middle and highschools by Atrium Health. Atrium Health, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, works with 70,000 individuals at approximately 1,500 facilities, including 40 hospitals. The non-profit healthcare organization, provides…

A study issued in the American Journal of Psychiatry has discovered that audio and video-based telehealth has helped prevent VA patients from discontinuing their treatment for opioid use disorder. Researchers at the University of Michigan and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System initially conducted the study to examine various methods to provide access to opioid use disorder treatment among veterans. However, in conducting the study, the researchers identified several benefits to telehealth use, such as increased access to buprenorphine.  The COVID-19 pandemic caused an extensive adoption of telehealth services as an alternative to traditional care. Concerns were raised by patients and…

Researchers at Stanford Medicine have discovered that a smartphone app can help healthcare providers detect skin cancer among older people. The app is called SkinIO and enables regular individuals and medical professionals to take high-quality pictures of possibly cancerous tumors without entering a clinic. A dermatologist is then given access to the photos through a secure gateway for evaluation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous restrictions were put in place in order to prevent the spread of the virus and protect those vulnerable, particularly older individuals. However, the strict protocols implemented have resulted in a decline in clinic visits leading to…

A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed that only 14.1% of children utilized telemedicine in the second half of 2020 as a result of the pandemic, however, utilization was higher among those with disabilities, developmental conditions, and asthma. The CDC launched the study in order to assess the effect of telemedicine on the pediatric population. To do this, the CDC gathered information from a National Health Interview Survey including data between July and December 2020 and assessed the frequency of use and types of cases that most frequently appeared in virtual environments. The CDC…

A recent study published in JMIR Formative Research developed and analyzed a three-item screening questionnaire to measure digital literacy across different demographics. Experts believe that this tool may be used to identify those who would not stand to gain from virtual care services provided. As a consequence of the nature of the COVID-19 crisis, the use of virtual care modalities such as telehealth, mobile health, and patient portals grew exponentially. However, concerns have been raised about the issue of digital illiteracy. To evaluate the legitimacy of these concerns, researchers examined the efficacy of a tool that measures digital health literacy….

A new mHealth study funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging is set to take place in senior living centers in Massachusetts and California. The $2 million grant was awarded to the University of California at Santa Barbara to investigate how virtual reality (VR) platforms can help reduce social isolation and depression among seniors. The grant is the second given to Rendever, a digital health company based in Boston that is developing VR products to tackle these issues. This study is an exciting opportunity to explore the potential of VR and how it can be used…