While there is growing awareness in both doctor’s offices and health IT markets of the critical...

One of the early effects of COVID-19 on healthcare has been the rapid increase in the use of telehealth instead of office visits. This growth has largely been driven by the circumstances of the pandemic, as well as CMS temporary waivers loosening restrictions on Medicare payments for telehealth services.
Technology advocates and many in healthcare see the CMS waivers as a sea of change that will sweep away the last vestiges of the fee-for-service office visit world and echo in a new era of virtual care and services propelled by the “engaged consumer”. Loosening telehealth usage restrictions, leveling the payment playing field between in-patient and virtual “visits”, and adding in new technologies such as 5G and more powerful mobile devices, are all changes that will bode well for telehealth. Obviously, there are still those pesky problems like developing consistent policies and standards across payers, building privacy and security safeguards, but now with the government regulatory winds finally at their backs, the telehealth supporters are flying high.
The challenge for government healthcare policymakers is similar to what they face during any crisis period, which is how to best leverage this singular moment to create long-needed transformation but also maintain flexibility to prevent locking in systemic changes that could later be deemed harmful or costly. A good case study is the government’s reaction to 9-11 and the impact on homeland security.
For policymakers and other stakeholders, telehealth presents multiple challenges as well as unique opportunities. Here are a few impact examples:
Another key player in telehealth will be the technology vendors. Not only will they be needed to ensure the quality, privacy, and security of the video and audio interactions, but they will also play key roles in data collection and analysis, record keeping, and providing continual innovation as the demand for more telehealth services grows. Trusted vendors are critical to helping ensure that telehealth can continue to progress without major privacy or security breaches or other deficiencies that erode trust.
There are many questions that still need to be answered but there is no doubt that the impact of COVID-19 has rapidly moved up the timeline for telehealth to become a major force and will change how healthcare is practiced and delivered. We are only in the beginning stages of this revolution. Technology acceleration, people’s growing comfortable level with remote care, and the increasing willingness of regulators and providers to embrace the change are going to create a very different healthcare system in the next five years.