Telehealth

Kaiser Permanente Ventures is betting big on telemedicine, investing $10 million in Vidyo, a visual communications company that integrates high definition video communications into electronic health record systems and workflow, Vidyo announced Monday.

Technology and connectivity will continue its steady infiltration of the healthcare landscape, branding and trust take priority over convenience, and the advancement and integration of connected health technologies will hinge on cybersecurity in 2016, PwC said.

Computer Programs and Systems, which provides healthcare information solutions to rural and community hospitals, will buy technology vendor firm Healthland Holding and its affiliates for $250 million, the company announced.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development's Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program will add $23.4 million in additional funding for 75 new projects in 31 states, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.

While some carriers may see the need to instate payment guidelines, the overwhelming majority of physicians surveyed cite administrative issues and a lack of billing services to address the need for reimbursement tools as a major detraction from implementing telehealth into their practices.

As healthcare providers collect more data on patients than ever, and plan to use it to predict care, healthcare needs to understand the ethical implications, according to experts speaking at the Predictive Analytics World Healthcare conference in Boston Tuesday.

Healthcare mergers are much more intricate in the post-reform world, as systems are more apt to buy clinics, physician practices and digital tools than hospitals, a new report by Accenture claims.

Since it first started placing home health monitoring kits with patients discharged from Flagstaff Medical Center or Verde Valley Medical Center following treatment for congestive heart failure or related cardiac conditions in 2011, parent company Northern Arizona Healthcare says is has saved up to $92,000 per patient.

Tufts Health Plan is working with Iora to open two new Iora Primary Care practices, in Medford and Hyde Park, exclusively for customers on Tufts' Medicare Preferred and Senior Care Options plans, the latter a dual eligibles plan.

Healthcare Finance showcases its top five most popular videos from the first half of the year.