Telehealth- A Trend that’s here to stay?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 6 out of 10 adults have at least one chronic disease (Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). Nearly half of U.S adults, reported
having delayed or avoided seeking care during the pandemic due to concerns of COVID-19
(Czeisler et al. 2020). With such high numbers of Americans requiring regular
care for one or even multiple chronic diseases, the impact on the overall
health of many Americans was greatly disrupted during this recent public health
crisis.
The COVID-19 pandemic has
forever changed the face of healthcare in the United States. With the needs of
our diverse population constantly changing and the push to telehealth only
accelerated by the pandemic, technology as well as practice flow has worked
hard to adjust over the past year. The pandemic changed how many of us view our
individual and family health as well as how we access our healthcare. While in
many communities across the nation, barriers to care have been reduced with
more individuals being able to work from home. Other families faced
unprecedented financial and personal loses, limiting even more their access to quality
care.
As stated by the CDC, “telehealth is a promising
public health tool” which can greatly improve access to underserved areas,
benefit the patient-provider relationship and save billions of dollars in
healthcare costs in conjunction with reducing contact to secondary illness
(CDC, 2020).
Based on a recent research study published in the weekly CDC Morbidity and Mortality Report, the use of telehealth appointments for accessing care pre pandemic in the spring of 2019 when compared with March of 2020, grew by 154 percent (Koonin et al., 2020). This increase shows an astounding acceptance rate of both providers and patients in adopting this new growing technology.
As of March, 2020, Medicare has covered all
telehealth visits for issues which were once only covered by in person, face to
face appointments. This increase in access not only immediately benefited
millions of underserved patients, but it fueled the transition into a
longer-term shift to include more telehealth in routine care.
Telehealth visits are also increasingly used for
behavioral health visits, as many patients do not live directly near mental
health providers. The use of telehealth visits can help reduce stigma for those
seeking assistance with mental health issues. The growing trend to use
telehealth for these visits is likely to continue into the future as the need
for mental healthcare continues to escalate post-pandemic.
With expanded acceptance of providers, the general
population, and improved reimbursement policies for telehealth, it can continue
to serve an important place in the role of delivery of care.
While telehealth is not without its challenges, including
limited access for individuals without appropriate technology, it does appear
to have overall increased access to care during this unprecedented time (Koonin
et al, 2020). It is unclear at this time what the future of telehealth will be
once the public health crisis created by the pandemic passes. Medicare has now
extended telehealth benefits permanently in an effort to continue this cost
saving trend into the future of healthcare. Only time will tell if providers
and clients will continue to benefit from this modern healthcare delivery tool.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Chronic Disease in America. https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/infographic/chronic-diseases.htms
Koonin, L. M., Hoots,
B., Tsang, C. A., Leroy, Z., Farris, K., Jolly, T., Antall, P., McCabe, B.,
Zelis, C., Tong, I., & Harris, A. M. (2020). Trends in the Use of
Telehealth During the Emergence of the COVID-19 Pandemic - United States,
January-March 2020. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 69(43),
1595–1599. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6943a3
Czeisler
MÉ., Marynak K., Clarke KEN., Salah Z, Shakya I., Thierry JM., Ali N, McMillan
H., Wiley JF., Weaver MD., Czeisler CA., Rajaratnam SMW., Howard ME., (2020).
Delay or Avoidance of Medical Care Because of COVID-19 Related Concerns-United
States, June 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020 Sep 11; 69(36):1250-1257.
https://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6936a4externalicon
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