
A Message From Our President - March 2022
As effective as telehealth can be, skeptics remain. And perhaps that is as it should be since skepticism is not necessarily a negative thing. Learning to trust new things doesn’t always happen immediately. Who would’ve entrusted all of their family photographs to the first Apple smartphone?

With telemedicine, geography does not determine quality of healthcare
Since 2005, 181 rural hospitals have closed their doors. With around 15 percent of the population, or roughly 46 million people, living in rural communities, these closures have been no less than catastrophic for the residents in these districts as having to drive long distances to receive trauma, stroke, or mental health care can be stressful, frustrating, and even life-threatening.

How legislation can continue to help patients who need telehealth
This month, Congress passed its 2022 omnibus spending bill, which expanded coverage of telehealth services under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. A massive win for the 130 million patients that rely on these services for their healthcare, the provision extended coverage for certain telehealth services for 151 days (until September 14th) after the pandemic-era public health emergency ends in April.

What is happiness and how is it related to mental health?
Every year on March 20th is the International Day of Happiness, an annual UN event promoting happiness as a global human right. This year's theme is "Build Back Happier" as the world recovers from the pandemic.

A Message From Our President - February 2022
VirtualMed Staff has been a proud participant in The Joint Commission’s Ambulatory Accreditation Program since 2016. Several weeks ago we completed our third onsite survey, and while we have always done very well in these audits, this year we outdid our past performances.