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On February 20, 2026, the FDA issued warning letters to 30 telehealth companies for misleading claims about compounded GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs such as semaglutide and tirzepatide. The agency highlighted that compounded products are not FDA‑reviewed for safety, efficacy, or quality, and that some firms suggested they were comparable to approved medications. This action follows a larger 2025 crackdown that sent over 100 similar letters, signaling intensified oversight of direct‑to‑consumer telehealth prescribing models. Regulators also referred prominent platform Hims & Hers to the Department of Justice for further investigation.
Healthcare providers are accelerating the adoption of biometric identity verification to curb fraud and meet HIPAA‑aligned patient‑matching standards. A recent exposure of an unsecured IDMerit database, containing roughly one billion personal records, highlighted the vulnerability of centralized biometric repositories. Vendors such...
Escalating conflict between Iran, Israel, the United States and allies has intensified since Feb. 28, 2026, leading to widespread attacks on hospitals and a severe internet shutdown in Iran. The WHO warns that damage to health facilities and disrupted telecommunications are straining...
U.S. health‑care spending nears $5 trillion, while hospital markets become increasingly consolidated under a few large systems. Telehealth, despite high eligibility, is billed for only about 3.8% of services, indicating a behavioral adoption gap. Fee‑for‑service still dominates, covering roughly 40% of...
Telehealth’s rapid expansion has spotlighted privacy and security anxieties among clinicians, largely because these topics were never part of standard medical training. Fear‑driven HIPAA instruction and vague regulatory language amplify uncertainty, while the shift to digital platforms adds perceived technical...
In May 2025 the National Academy of Medicine released an Artificial Intelligence Code of Conduct for Health and Medicine, outlining ten principles to guide trustworthy, human‑centered AI across health care. The framework is especially relevant for behavioral health, where AI...
Utah’s Department of Health has green‑lit a 12‑month pilot that lets an approved artificial‑intelligence system automatically process prescription refills for chronic medications. The AI checks dosage, patient history, and insurance eligibility before sending the order to participating pharmacies, aiming to...
On Jan 2026 the FDA issued updated guidance that relaxes oversight for low‑risk digital health products, including many AI‑enabled clinical decision support tools and consumer wellness wearables. The guidance clarifies which software falls outside the medical device definition, allowing these tools...
Congress approved the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026, extending key Medicare telehealth flexibilities through Dec. 31 2027. The extension preserves waivers for in‑person visits, home‑based originating sites, audio‑only services, and broader clinician eligibility, while renewing the Acute Hospital at Home program to...
The article argues that relying on "at‑the‑elbow" support to compensate for clunky telehealth platforms hides deeper usability problems. It highlights how bundled EHR video tools often lack essential workflow integration, forcing organizations to spend on training, staffing, and workarounds. These...
