Reston-based SOC Telemed Inc. announced this week it has purchased Texas-based medical practice Access Physicians for $194 million in cash and stocks. The acquisition will create the largest acute care telemedicine provider in the United States. According to SOC Telemed, the combined company is estimated to have earned $107 million to $113 million in pro forma annual revenue in 2021, and it serves almost 1,000 facilities, including more than 700 hospitals, in 47 states.
At the beginning of the pandemic, a crucial change to Medi-Cal reimbursement policy made telehealth more accessible than ever for California’s most vulnerable populations. Visits conducted via telephone, online video or in person were to be covered equally. Our experience as clinicians during this time has shown us that putting telephone visits on equal benefit footing has dramatically expanded access to care without compromising quality. Yet the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, along with California’s Department of Health Care Services, recently signaled they would reduce or eliminate reimbursement for audio-only visits
GREENFIELD, Indiana — U.S. Rep. Greg Pence, R-Indiana, visited Hancock Regional Hospital to meet with healthcare and telecommunications leaders about issues surrounding virtual health care in rural settings.
At the start of the pandemic, mental health providers like Jennifer Theurer made a switch in serving clients. “At the beginning of the pandemic, I closed the clinic down for about a week and worked on transitioning over to telehealth,” said Theurer. Now, the private practice she owns in Tiffin does all of its services virtually to protect her clients and herself as a transplant recipient. Many patients have told her they prefer the convenience of an online visit.
Despite logistical challenges, remote therapy improved engagement, mitigated symptoms and reduced repeated hospitalizations, according to a joint study by the Tulane University School of Medicine and the Tulane School of Social Work.