Pulse+IT's weekly round-up of international health IT news for the week ending August 9: Telehealth and older patients, $18.5b Livongo and Teledoc merger, $16.4b Siemens Healthineers and Varian buy, telemedicine and COVID cancer backlog, Apple-Google COVID tracing in the UK and US, FDA approval for Samsung Health Monitor app, US Medicare telehealth extension, patient identifier ban, EMRs and physician burnout
JAMA study warns telemedicine not suitable for 38% of patients over 65
MobiHealthNews ~ Laura Lovett ~ 05/08/2020
The study, which looked at data from adults over the age of 65, found that over a third of people weren’t ready for video visits. Researchers sited issues ranging from difficulty in hearing to tech issues.
Livongo, Teladoc strike $18.5B merger, creating a digital health behemoth
MedCity News ~ Elise Reuter ~ 05/08/2020
The deal would combine one of the largest telehealth companies with a platform for managing an array of chronic conditions, including diabetes and heart disease.
