On Monday, MHW learned that 1Vision LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of HMS TECHNOLOGIES, INC., and AMC Health, a leading provider of proven real-time virtual care solutions, have been awarded the Authority to Operate (ATO) and provide telehealth solutions to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

With this agreement, 1Vision’s and AMC Health’s telehealth solutions will be made available to enrolled Veterans and their family members. Earlier this year, 1Vision and AMC Health announced their participation in an up to 5-year VA Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with a guaranteed minimum of $50,000 and a potential maximum $258,668,957, to provide telehealth solutions, confirming it meets the government’s stringent data security and privacy standards.

VA is America’s largest integrated health care system, serving nine million enrolled Veterans and providing care at 1,240 sites of care. VHA’s Home Telehealth Program relies on telehealth platforms from commercial contractors classified by the VA as Medical Device Data Systems.

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MHW can now confirm that Teladoc, Inc. — a worldwide powerhouse in virtual care — has acquired Advance Medical, a virtual care provider outside of the United States.

“With a broadened international footprint and the ability to offer an expanded set of clinical services worldwide, the combination creates the only global comprehensive virtual care platform capable of serving companies and people everywhere,” a statement to the media reads.

With the addition of Advance Medical, Teladoc builds on its successful track record of acquiring and integrating companies with common purpose, complementary capabilities and access to new markets. Combining Advance Medical’s suite of international clinical capabilities with Teladoc’s technology and operational scale, the company is now uniquely equipped to meet the needs of U.S. multinational employers, for whom one third of all employees live abroad.

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On Monday, Propeller Health, a leading digital therapeutics company, announced a strategic investment of an undisclosed amount from McKesson Ventures, adding to the $20M funding round announced last week.

We’re told that proceeds from the investment will provide further support for Propeller’s development of additional connected medicines for the treatment of chronic respiratory disease, such as injectables for severe asthma, and expansion into new therapeutic areas, which may include immunology, diabetes, migraine and other diseases with high unmet medical need.

“We’ve accumulated the expertise, infrastructure and distribution network to put connected medicines in the hands of people around the world,” said David Van Sickle, co-founder and CEO of Propeller Health. “This strategic investment accelerates those efforts and provides opportunities to explore potential partnership models that can increase access to new digital medicines and positively impact more lives.”

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On Tuesday, MHW learned that SnapMD — a full-service enterprise telehealth technology innovator and solutions provider — has confirmed that through an arrangement with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), SnapMD will provide its Virtual Care Management (VCM) telehealth platform as part of the AAP Member Advantage Program.

We’re told that the AAP program includes 66,000 pediatricians, surgeons, and specialists nationwide. SnapMD’s VCM software enables pediatric practices to offer virtual visits to their patients as a complement to traditional in-person care.

Virtual pediatric patient visits can improve care, enhance outcomes, and lower costs while delivering greater patient and clinician satisfaction. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of children age 0 to 17 in the United States is expected to reach 74.1 million by 2020 and nearly 80 million by 2050, and the number of pediatric medical and surgical specialists and subspecialists is continuing to drop.

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Fluent, Inc., a leading data-driven performance marketing company, recently announced that the Company has appointed Brian Hogan as President, Fluent Health, effective immediately.

MHW has learned that in this role, Hogan will oversee the launch of the health marketing division as the company continues to aggressively grow and expand its business.

“With his expertise in health marketing and impeccable track record of building new data-driven platforms, Brian is a tremendous addition to the team,” said, Matt Conlin, President and Co-Founder. “We are thrilled to welcome him as we continue to expand our business and evolve how we service different verticals and monetize our data assets.”

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News Release: Sherrie Williams, COO of the South Georgia telemedicine networking agency Global Partnership for Telehealth, led one of several strategic planning focus groups at the Association of Social Work Boards’ 2018 Educational Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia on Saturday morning. Williams’ presentation, titled “ePractice Across State Lines,” focused on educating social work licensing regulators about the ever-shifting technological landscape.

Williams, a licensed clinical social worker herself, said the ASWB tapped her for the presentation due to her vast experience in telehealth. “I was asked to provide ‘food for thought’ to these regulators so that when they put pen to paper, they have a much clearer understanding of what is happening in the telehealth marketplace in terms of legislation, rules, and trends,” she said.

According to Williams, writing sensible rules to govern social workers in the current electronic age is a delicate task. “My encouragement to them was to think strategically,” Williams said. “Technology changes at the speed of light. Regulators need to plan for the future and not necessarily the now.”

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On Monday, Fitbit announced new apps and clock faces to help people better manage their health, directly from the wrist.

Built using Fitbit’s SDK, the apps and clock faces will give Fitbit smartwatch users new options to improve wellness and help manage conditions like diabetes and some types of cancer. Additionally, the apps will give health plans, employers and clinical researchers new opportunities to better support their users outside of a clinical environment, helping lead to positive health outcomes.

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