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The Joint Commission recently announced it has changed its accreditation rules to enable more hospitals and telemedicine companies to use the streamlined “credentialing by proxy” process. Under the change, the distant site telemedicine entity must be accredited with The Joint Commission or enrolled in the Medicare program. Previously, the rules required both the originating site hospital and the distant site entity to be accredited with The Joint Commission. That requirement of dual-accreditation was exclusively created by The Joint Commission, and was not mandated by the CMS Medicare regulations.

Utah's governor has signed into a law a bill that establishes Medicaid and commercial payer coverage for healthcare providers using telehealth to deliver mental healthcare services.

Eligible applicants for the BHWD TAE are: Health professions schools, academic health centers, State or local governments, or other public or private nonprofit entities that provide services and training to health professions. A nationally recognized accrediting body, as specified by the U.S. Department of Education, must accredit applicants that are institutions of higher education. These applicants must submit their accreditation documentation as Attachment 4. Accredited health professions schools and academic health centers applicants are required to submit accreditation documentation. Those that fail to attach a copy of the required accreditation documentation as Attachment 4 will be considered non-responsive and will not be considered for funding under this announcement. Applicants are required to maintain their accreditation throughout the project period and notify HRSA of any change in status. Eligible entities must be located in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, America Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Republic of Palau. Domestic faith-based and community-based organizations, tribes, and tribal organizations are eligible to apply, if otherwise eligible.

While 2020 incited widespread adoption of video-based consultations, the healthcare ecosystem is now presented with a new mandate of delivering virtual care at scale. Fortunately, there are some companies up to the task.

Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School are taking part in an NIH-funded study to evaluate the use of telehealth in advance care planning for patients receiving home-based palliative care.

Telehealth can facilitate access to care, reduce risk for transmission of SARS-CoV-2, conserve scarce medical supplies, and reduce strain on health care capacity and facilities while supporting continuity of care.

During June 26–November 6, 2020, 30.2% of weekly health center visits occurred via telehealth. Telehealth visits declined as the number of new COVID-19 cases decreased but plateaued as the number of cases increased. Health centers in the South and rural areas consistently reported the lowest average percentage of weekly telehealth visits