It is targeted to run virtual wards four years ahead of its completion by 2030.

Optum leaders reportedly shared internally that the company would shutter its sizable telehealth business. Parent company UnitedHealth Group said that it would continue to offer telemedicine and remote care options.

That could completely change the landscape for perinatal care and greatly improve outcomes, says the director of obstetric imaging at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, especially in settings where this was not previously possible.

Digital transformation of healthcare not only requires investments in digital technology, but also in digital health literacy. This must be coordinated across three critical levels: individual, institutional and policy-making.

The healthcare industry must simultaneously guard against technology outpacing its practical uses, says one physician and CIO.

The goal is to help ensure patient safety in telemedicine, and to help healthcare organizations standardize approaches to virtual care with an eye toward quality improvement and patient outcomes that are "consistent with traditional settings."