Dive Brief:
- Cerner and American Well are teaming up to integrate the telehealth company’s platform into Cerner’s electronic health record.
- The agreement will allow doctors to remotely manage their patients’ health and care via telehealth.
- Patients will access the integrated EHR-telehealth solution through Cerner’s HealtheLife patient engagement portal, which features provider messaging and access to care team.
Dive Insight:
The collaboration could pressure other EHRs to integrate with telehealth platforms.
The number of employers who plan on offering telehealth services to their workers will increase to 90% next year — up from 70% this year, according to a recent National Business Group on Health survey. By 2020, that figure could reach 100%, the group said.
Earlier this year, the American Medical Association adopted ethical guidelines to help doctors navigate the digital doctor-patient landscape. The group also hoped companies developing telehealth solutions would see the guidelines as a roadmap of what doctors need to enhance access and quality care.
In 2015, Cerner partnered with digital health platform Validic to let patients upload health data into the HealtheLife portal and, if they wish, their EHR. At the time, the company described the move as part of a broader digital health strategy to advance remote patient monitoring, telehealth, and wellness efforts.