Virtual pediatric behavioral health company Brightline has transformed its go-to-market strategy. The shift involves shutting down the company's operations in 45 states, nixing its enterprise commercial functions and planning to create hybrid care models in five states. The change was also accompanied by significant layoffs. "It's been a hard week for Brightline," read a blog post by co-founder and CEO Naomi Allen. "We made the decision over the last couple of weeks to restructure our national virtual-care employer-focused business to focus on a new go-to-market strategy that we believe will allow us to serve our mission in a more effective way." Palo Alto, California-based Brightline currently operates virtually in 50 states. As part of its transformation, the company will stop new patient intake in November. It will continue treating all patients through the end of the year, then relaunch virtual services in only the five states selected for the hybrid model.
A House committee on Wednesday advanced legislation that would extend Medicare telehealth flexibilities and a home hospital program adopted during the pandemic, the final step before the bills face a vote by the full House of Representatives. Congress in 2022 extended pandemic-era flexibilities about where and what kinds of care Medicare enrollees could receive over telehealth. The two-year telehealth extension unanimously passed on Wednesday by the House Energy & Commerce Committee is very similar to bills advanced in May by Commerce's health subcommittee and the House Ways & Means Committee.
There were an average of 99,000 abortions performed across the U.S. during each of the first three months of 2024, an increase compared with an average of around 82,270 procedures per month in the second quarter of 2022.
A bill set to be considered on Wednesday by the House Ways & Means Committee would extend for two years telehealth flexibilities for Medicare enrollees that were adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and look to reform drug industry middlemen to pay for it.
Members of Congress appear poised to advance another short-term extension of pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities instead of permanently addressing the issue, seven sources familiar with the talks said
Funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program, which was created in 2021 infrastructure legislation, is set to dry up completely in June without action from Congress.