The COVID-19 public health emergency is likely to end in May. There’s no denying the pandemic’s push has brought telemedicine into the mainstream.
But what next for virtual care? And what about the blossoming trend of virtual-first care?
Healthcare IT News sat down with Sean Mehra, CEO and co-founder of HealthTap, the first virtual urgent care and primary care clinic.
Mehra discusses whether virtual prioritization is the way to go, what the end of the public health emergency means for virtual care, how patients deploy technology in how their healthcare process can help and where telehealth will be in the next 5 and 10 years.
Q. Many telemedicine experts, as well as a large number of healthcare providers, suggest that as healthcare evolves post-pandemic, virtual prioritization is the way to go. . Why do you feel the first virtual makes sense?
ONE. Even without the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual prioritization is a logical starting point for all non-urgent medical issues. The default is that an in-person visit costs more time and money for both the patient and the doctor. So it’s simply the most efficient allocation and use of scarce resources – doctor time, patient time, and money.
This is important because, unfortunately, a lot of people in the United States are delaying healthcare due to their financial circumstances or schedule constraints.
For example, “Should I go to the doctor and miss a payday, and simply interrupt my personal plans and responsibilities, or should I wait for a more convenient time?” As we have seen in times of pandemic, delaying care can have dire and virtual consequences that are above all but do not solve the problem.
Research shows that people live longer, healthier lives when they maintain a relationship with their primary care physician. That’s because it’s easier for doctors to observe patient health patterns holistically over time.
It is much easier to maintain that relationship and to maintain timely and regular communication to catch and manage problems before they get worse when doctors and patients can do it conveniently using the state-of-the-art technology we have available.
Ultimately, telemedicine is a more cost-effective solution for providers as they no longer need to consider the cost of operating a physical care location. Those savings could go directly to the 38% of Americans who avoid managing their health due to cost.
Q. What does the near-ending public health emergency of COVID-19 mean for virtual care?
ONE. The federal declaration of emergency about COVID-19 will always eventually go away. The fact that telemedicine has yet to be permanently legislated is only a function of our democracy. There is bipartisan support for this, it’s awaited and it will happen.
Meanwhile, people are comfortable with telemedicine during the pandemic. It is now an expected part of the healthcare experience.
US laws regarding telemedicine need to evolve to make it sustainable for everyone in the long run. But the reality is, this will be the primary way people communicate with their doctors about most common health problems, to address continuity of care, and to manage chronic conditions.
Q. You suggest that people are taking a more motivated approach to healthcare by implementing technology into their healthcare routine. Did the pandemic play an important role in this? And what does this ultimately mean for telehealth?
ONE. I don’t think people are more motivated than ever to actively manage their health. In fact, the opposite is true. People have always and continue to avoid proactive and preventive health care because it is stressful, time consuming, and lacks immediate rewards – the rewards of staying healthy are measured in decades.
That said, the pandemic has forced people into contact with telemedicine and as a result they are more aware of its benefits. They have experienced the convenience and now they know they can get the same or similar level of care.
So we have reached a tipping point. Like most innovative technologies, once the general consumer has been exposed to a superior solution, market forces often rapidly push the solution towards mass adoption and diffusion. .
Q. Telehealth seems to be on its way to becoming a preferred method of healthcare. Where do you see telehealth in 5 years and 10 years?
ONE. We will see three major changes coming. First, switching to telemedicine becomes the default mode of care. To observe a pattern in history, recall that we coined the word “e-commerce” to refer to shopping done online; “commercial” is what we did directly.
Now, e-commerce is what we really mean – by default – when we talk about buying anything. The concept of telemedicine versus medicine would be similar. “Virtual care” will be synonymous with “care” and the in-person experience will become the exception instead of the default.
Second, telemedicine will be better integrated with local care. Today, most telemedicine experiences are quite disjointed compared to in-person care options, unless it is virtual care offered as an add-on to an existing in-person clinic. . In the future, telemedicine providers will enable more seamless transfers to and from local clinics, hospitals, and specialists.
Ultimately, we will see telemedicine continue to expand the scope of what can be treated and managed remotely. As more convenient service options – such as home testing, medication/supply delivery, home follow-up and clinician home visits – become available and accessible, levels of The extent to which a physician can be helpful virtually without requiring the patient to travel to a physical location of care, will make the healthcare experience more convenient and efficient than ever before.
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