News

-Post and Courier

“The Medical University of South Carolina will provide health care to employees of the State Ports Authority with a new agreement announced Tuesday.

MUSC will staff and operate a health clinic that will serve hundreds of port employees at the SPA’s new campus in Mount Pleasant, which is expected to be completed in December.

Workers will be able to access virtual urgent care services and set up telehealth “visits” with MUSC providers. Those services should be available to all SPA employees, said Bob Mozdean, senior vice president of human resources for the the state maritime agency. But employees will still be able to choose their preferred health care provider, he said.”

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-John Lewis, SCETV

“Before a ceremonial bill signing at the state house, Gov. Henry McMaster said he hopes to see telehealth continue to grow across the state.

“I look forward to the day we have total telemedicine in the state, when all the people on their cell phone can have access to medical care,” said McMaster.

Senate Bill 345, which expands practice abilities and cuts regulations for advanced practice nurses (APRNs), went into effect July 1.

As the law’s supporters gathered in the governor’s office Wednesday, including health administrators, nurse practitioners, and state legislators, the governor said the law’s greatest impact will be in rural communities.”

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-WSAV3

“The Department of Mental Health serves more than 100,000 citizens with mental illnesses, but getting services to those clients isn’t always easy.

The department received $600,000 to expand its telehealth program, which allows the department to offer mental health services to patients no matter where they are in the state.

“It’s a national issue, for psychiatric patients who present themselves in an emergency setting in a hospital or emergency room and that hospital doesn’t have access to a psychiatrist, ” said Mark Binkley the Deputy Director of Community Mental Health Services

Patients would wait for days to speak to a psychiatrist, but telemedicine is helping prevent those problems by allowing patients to meet with doctors even if they’re out of town.”

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–ABC News4

“There has been one flu related death in the Lowcountry, seven in the Midlands, three Upstate, and four in Pee Dee this week according to DHEC.

In addition, Charleston County alone has had more than 300 flu cases reported in the last week and in Greenville County, almost a thousand cases were reported according to DHEC.

Due to the Lowcountry experiencing higher than usual flu cases that has resulted in 15 flu related deaths in South Carolina, MUSC Health has now implemented flu clinics and telehealth services to patients already ill from the flu.”

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–Fierce Healthcare

The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 in favor of repealing net neutrality regulations, an expected outcome that prompted renewed concern from some about the impact on telehealth and remote monitoring.

-The Post and Courier

The Charleston Dorchester Mental Health Center recently won an award in Nashville, Tennessee, for its work in the “telehealth” field. 

According to a press release about the recognition, in 2016, the center partnered with the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston County EMS and the S.C. Telehealth Alliance to offer patients “on-site emergency mental health assessments in real-time.”

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-mHealth Intelligence

“The Medical University of South Carolina has been named a Telehealth Center of Excellence, and given a three-year federal grant to become a model for telehealth and telemedicine programs across the country.

The Health and Human Services Department’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced the designation on Oct. 3, along with a $600,000-a-year grant to help MUSC develop its program, which now serves some 200 sites across the state.”

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–Fierce Healthcare

“After telehealth providers offered up free services to victims of Hurricane Harvey last week, the telehealth community is replicating the same approach as Hurricane Irma churns through Florida.

–Medscape

President Trump today announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will soon roll out a new virtual visit service called VA Video Connect along with a new smartphone app for appointment scheduling. VA Video Connect will allow any VA physician to conduct a telehealth visit with any veteran anywhere in the country, either on a mobile device or on a computer.

“This will significantly expand access to care to our veterans, especially for those who need help in the area of mental health, which is a bigger and bigger request, and also in suicide prevention,” Trump said in a press conference at VA headquarters. “It will make a tremendous difference for the veterans in rural locations in particular.”

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