The Future of Telehealth
Telehealth — the distribution of health-related services and information digitally — has grown in popularity over the course of the pandemic. Although it has been in the works for quite some time, the need to limit the transmission of communicable diseases acted as a catalyst for the adoption of telehealth services across the healthcare industry.
From accessing remote primary care and educational resources to online mental health support, these innovative healthcare solutions are increasing accessibility to care in a way that is convenient for patients and providers alike. With the reputation and usefulness of these services becoming more widespread, it begs the question: What is the future of telehealth?
Understanding Telehealth
Before discussing the future of telehealth, let’s explore what it is and what it offers patients. The term telehealth, not to be confused with telemedicine, refers to a variety of healthcare services delivered to patients remotely. Through streaming, videoconferencing, texting and other wireless means, patients can communicate directly with their healthcare providers, access care plans, explore helpful material and more.
As the number of people suffering from chronic conditions and mental illness reaches an all-time high, healthcare modernizations such as these have become necessary. Having access to medical professionals and vital information from the comfort of their homes allows patients to improve their overall health and receive high-quality care without making additional trips to the doctor’s office or hospital. There are a wide range of services available through various telehealth platforms. Here are just some examples of current use cases:
Primary care physician assistance over a videoconference to discuss emerging symptoms or noncritical changes
Mental health support via messaging with a counselor over a secured app
Medical education and local support resources
Digitized care plans from providers
Remote patient monitoring of vital signs
The Benefits of Telehealth
Especially in the wake of an understaffed healthcare industry, telehealth can help to alleviate demand on healthcare facilities. With more and more patients receiving help from home, healthcare professionals can improve patient load management, enhance efficiency and work to reduce associated costs.
Furthermore, telehealth helps promote patient autonomy. Through access to high-tech tools, educational resources and their medical records, patients can make more informed decisions. Telehealth helps to weave healthcare into a patient’s daily life, making them more likely to stay engaged and empowering them to make changes for preventative health measures. After all, more engaged patients are healthier patients.
Telehealth also provides opportunities for additional data insights, enabling timely interventions for reduced ED utilization. For example, wearable technologies are available to monitor vitals and other health-related data. By accessing this data, patients heighten their understanding of their conditions, and providers more effectively address them. This results in improved outcomes and cost savings.
Lastly, telehealth technologies are striving to better reach vulnerable communities. Patients in rural areas typically receive less care due to their location and lack of resources. With telehealth, doctors could provide additional help to these underserved populations.
These benefits and untold possibilities offer insight into why telehealth is the future of healthcare.
Is Telehealth the Future of Healthcare?
As mentioned, the pandemic and “innovation enthusiasm” created an urgent need for telehealth. What was on a 5-year roadmap for healthcare organizations, became an instant priority. As we look toward a post-pandemic world, healthcare must inquire: “Is telehealth the future?”
Many signs point to yes. Considering the flexibility and convenience telehealth services offer, it seems like it’s not just here to stay, but primed to grow. Never intended to completely replace in-person care, telehealth services are incredibly complimentary and boast a more efficient use of resources. The best representations as to why telehealth is here to stay, comes down to industry trends:
Patient Utilization: We’ve heard about the “consumerization of healthcare,” and there’s no doubt it’s upon us. Patient utilization of telehealth is up. In fact, telehealth utilization has stabilized at 38 times pre-pandemic levels and even pre-pandemic data supported the increased use of telehealth (1). From various reports, we’ve learned that patients are indicating they’d like to use telehealth moving forward to attend non-urgent virtual visits, refill prescriptions, prepare for upcoming visits, review test results, manage their conditions, receive education, and more.
Condition Management: There are two areas for condition management where telehealth is emerging as a powerful contributor. The first is chronic disease management. The CDC reports that 1 in 3 adults suffer from a chronic condition. In most cases, lifestyle choices can help to prevent these diseases and their progression. Additionally, this population is known to be highly non-adherent to their medications and treatment plans, further exacerbating their symptoms and costing the healthcare industry billions of dollars a year. Telehealth services like remote patient monitoring and virtual care apps are proven to be very effective across these populations to address these challenges. The second area where telehealth shines is in the mental health space. It’s thought that only about half of those with mental health issues seek help. A lot of this can be attributed to the stigma around seeking help and the limited availability of mental health resources. Teletherapy and telepsychiatry are now positioned to help fill these gaps, making accessing mental health care easy and discrete, while amplifying messages that help to reduce stigma and encourage those in need to get help.
Actionable Data: There is a device for pretty much everything now, and in the wake of what seems like limitless integration opportunities, providers can get real access to data as it relates to a patient’s day-to-day life. Our industry has, no doubt, grown stronger in the area of interoperability, allowing for seamless data exchange between patient devices and clinical systems like the EHR. With all these connections in place, data becomes actionable as a part of programs like remote patient monitoring.
CMS Support: Over the last five years, CMS support for telehealth has continuously grown. This is an indication that, as an organization, they recognize the value these technology services offer to patients. With reimbursement codes continuing to become more expansive, we can only expect to see these services grow.
Mozzaz believes telehealth is the future. Why? Because as access is improved so is equity of care. As the healthcare industry moves closer and closer towards value-based care, telehealth technology will be a great resource to support those important initiatives while contributing to overall cost savings. We continuously endeavor to offer flexible and straightforward virtual care solutions to everyone.
Click here for further ways telehealth can offer patients more personalized virtual care experiences. For additional information, contact us today.
