Bridging to Better Population Health - Concord eBook

The future of telehealth Patients and providers are concerned about the future of telehealth as we emerge from the pandemic. Will patients still be able to choose virtual appointments for routine care? And, will provider payment be commensurate with in-person appointments? Continuing and expanding access to telehealth seems like a win-win-win for patients, providers, and payers. If more patients stay on top of their health and address minor problems before they turn major, they'll have a better quality of life. Plus, reducing the number of emergency situations would significantly reduce costs to the healthcare system. Ensuring that providers are eager to meet patients wherever they are—in-person or virtually—behooves payers to provide fair reimbursement for telehealth visits. Still, telehealth is not a magical panacea that solves all the access problems. While smartphones are incredibly pervasive—85% of U.S. adults own one in 2022—they are not universal. Further, those with low digital literacy rates are ill equipped to understand how to use these care options. Plus, there will always be times when individuals need an in-person appointment.

Telehealth as a Means to Aordable and Accessible Care

In healthcare, there is increasing pressure to see more patients and keep costs low. The pandemic experience underscores teleheath’s pivotal role in aordable and accessible healthcare, from video and telephone visits to e-visits. It turns out that patients like the option of telehealth. While many healthcare consumers wouldn't have sought out virtual appointments before the pandemic, most hope telehealth is part of the new normal. For some people, telehealth is a matter of convenience, but for others, it's a need.

For some populations, getting into the clinic is an obstacle. The drive is too far. They can't get time o from work. They can’t find childcare. They don't have transportation. For these individuals, telehealth can mean the dierence between seeking and skipping care, between being treated in a low-cost setting or waiting until it's bad enough to go to the emergency room.