In previous posts of this series, we discussed several benefits of using telehealth during COVID-19 spikes and beyond – including addressing healthcare inequality, how telehealth works in tandem with remote patient monitoring and asynchronous care, and how it helps keep patients connected when elective procedures…

On March 18, 2020, CMS temporarily banned “elective surgeries, and  non-essential medical, surgical, and dental procedures ” in order to reserve hospital and ICU capacity exclusively for COVID-19 cases. 

Telehealth adoption accelerated this year thanks to social distancing initiatives aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19. 

The acceleration of virtual care adoption by both providers and patients during the pandemic has helped develop new telehealth opportunities and prepared health systems to deal with the latest virus resurgence.

ProMedica launched an at-home acute care offering for patients who would have typically required hospitalization, the Toledo, Ohio-based health system announced Dec. 17.

The COVID-19 pandemic greatly accelerated telehealth adoption and highlighted the need for a digital intake process that helps health systems and medical groups collect the same important patient information for virtual visits as they do for in-person ones.

As hospitals and health systems continue the shift to telemedicine, new issues and risks with cybersecurity have arisen that will require ongoing work to preserve privacy and safe care delivery, Harvard Medical School researchers say. 

The American Telemedicine Association and Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society are among a group of telehealth organizations urging Congress to extend the temporary virtual care flexibilities passed for the COVID-19 public health emergency until the end of 2021. 

The number of Americans who reported having participated in at least one telehealth visit has increased by 57% since the COVID-19 outbreak began.

Research points to telehealth adoption among consumers at 46%, up from 11% in 2019. Now that we are in a second surge of the COVID-19 virus, I would expect to see these numbers rise even more.