On June 13th the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a new guidance for ethical practice in telehealth and telemedicine. The guidance outlines the new ethical responsibilities of physicians when using telemedicine as opposed to traditional interactions in a medical office or hospital. The new guidance was drafted by the AMA’s Council on Ethics and Judicial Affairs and approved on a vote by physicians across the United States. The American Medical Association saw the new guidance as necessary given the ways recent technological innovations are reshaping communication between patients and physicians.  

A pilot study at Michigan State University in East Lansing used an online program to help parents of children with autism improve their child’s social communication.

A report by telehealth provider Avizia and Modern Healthcare Custom Media, the research division of Modern Healthcare, found there is a wide gap between how healthcare providers currently use telehealth versus how they want to use the technology.

New legislation introduced by Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, would direct HHS to analyze a model of using telehealth to improve care in rural areas

A new partnership will connect Cleveland Clinic providers with CVS MinuteClinic customers in Ohio for online and mobile doctor visits through the American Well telehealth platform.

In contrast to claims that telehealth can solve numerous healthcare problems, including access to care, a paper published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research says research on the practice is overly positive because it is often based on short-term projects.

Telehealth provider American Well introduced the first-ever mobile Telehealth Software Development Kit (SDK) which allows any user to add online doctor visits into their native mobile apps.

The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) has announced plans to hold its first Telehealth Capitol Connection Forum, a bi-monthly briefing series that aims to meet the growing interest in using telemedicine to improve healthcare delivery.