COVID-19 has moved healthcare online more so than ever before. And although telemedicine has been around for years, this year’s healthcare crisis has shifted it from a “nice-to-have” to a necessity. Physicians are now regularly relying on telemedicine to connect with and provide non-emergency treatment to their patients.
But what happens when the pandemic comes to an end? Is telemedicine a flash in the pan or is it here to stay?
From my experience as a practicing physician, I see five main reasons why telehealth will continue to gain traction with my colleagues and will become a standard option for patient care moving forward.
1. Patient Demand: When given the choice, my patients often prefer virtual visits with their doctors over coming into the office. It’s convenient and often the fastest way to access a clinician for non-emergency care.
In fact, according to a study by The American Journal of Managed Care, telemedicine, by a clear margin, has fast become patients’ preferred approach when compared to a traditional office visit. As doctors look for ways to improve the patient experience, telemedicine will continue to be an important clinical option in order to stay aligned with patient preferences and expectations.
2. Convenience and Flexibility: There’s no doubt that telemedicine is convenient for doctors and patients alike. It helps clinicians to manage their patient schedule more effectively and requires a smaller time commitment from patients, since they can attend the appointment from home. For patients, telemedicine eliminates wasted time traveling to and from the doctor’s office. And it allows doctors to spend more time diagnosing and treating patients. Moreover, telehealth allows physicians to maximize their time and focus on more office visits in a day without sacrificing quality of care.
3. Technology Continues to Improve: As digital health companies continue to improve their telehealth products, the patient experience will get better, as will the tools that doctors have available for delivering remote care. Better functionality will be informed by real-world clinical feedback, increasing the use cases for telemedicine. This will make telemedicine more common across a variety of clinical areas.
4. Insurance Reimbursement: While billing health insurance for telemedicine remains somewhat uncertain, changes recently ushered in by CMS will have a major impact on how private insurance companies treat telehealth. Chances are that insurance companies will adapt to the growing demand for these appointments and reimburse accordingly. Healthcare organizations will likely begin establishing permanent telemedicine services for patients who reside in rural areas or who simply prefer to receive virtual care. Telemedicine benefits have already been expanded beyond COVID-19 for Medicare beneficiaries, so the bulk of other insurance companies are likely to follow suit.
“Before the pandemic, health insurance plans....both public and private, put up significant barriers to telemedicine that really didn’t make much sense for patients. Now, I can easily video call my patients in a HIPAA-secure environment using the Doximity app on my own personal cell phone. From a quick video call with my patient, I can immediately assess their clinical status and know in 3 minutes whether or not they need to go to the emergency room, if I can see them tomorrow, or if they shouldn’t be concerned,” explained Dr. Jay Meizlish, a cardiologist based in Connecticut.
5. Health Equity: Access to healthcare is not evenly distributed across the United States, and for those in rural and underserved communities, the nearest clinic may be hours away. The COVID-19 pandemic has driven innovation in telemedicine platforms and patients today can now see their doctor with only a smartphone. Given that over 80% of Black, Hispanic, and underserved Americans either own or have access to a mobile device, this new capability is helping bridge the divide in access to medical services.
We are already seeing the benefits of telemedicine for patients and doctors, and that alone is helping shape the future of medical care delivery. The question isn't if telemedicine is here to stay but rather how the technology will continue to evolve and how ubiquitous it will become across the medical community.
For more information about enterprise telemedicine solutions and options, check out Doximity’s “2020 State of Telemedicine” research study. The report has the latest data on market size estimates, patient attitudes towards telehealth, as well as data from Doximity’s own professional medical network, which includes over 70% of all U.S. doctors.