• COVID-19
  • Opinion
  • Health IT
    • Care Coordination
    • EMR/EHR
    • Interoperability
    • Patient Engagement
    • Population Health Management
    • Revenue Cycle Management
    • Social Determinants of Health
  • Digital Health
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Blockchain
    • Mobile Health
    • Precision Medicine
    • Telehealth
    • Wearables
  • Startups
  • M&A
  • Value-based Care
    • Accountable Care (ACOs)
    • Medicare Advantage

Telehealth After COVID-19: What’s Next for the Healthcare Industry?

by Michael Morgan, CEO of Updox 06/03/2020 Leave a Comment

Telehealth After COVID-19: What's Next for the Healthcare Industry?
Michael Morgan, CEO of Updox 

Like the rest of the economy, healthcare has been upended by the coronavirus. Not just emergency rooms, but primary care physicians, specialists, and long-term care facilities, too. 

Struggling to continue providing care in a time of social distancing, many have turned to telehealth in record numbers. Even providers who may have previously viewed telehealth skeptically – perhaps because of the technology’s perceived complexity or reimbursement challenges before COVID-19 – have now become some of its biggest champions. 

The sheer speed of this transformative shift is unprecedented in the healthcare industry. This extreme growth has been fueled by two factors: relaxed rules around enforcement and reimbursement, and demand from patients and healthcare providers. Prior to COVID, reimbursements for telehealth were focused on rural or underserved areas. Likewise, regional inconsistencies and varying rules for reimbursement by individual insurers limited its adoption. Not only were regulations relaxed around technology and reimbursements once COVID hit, however, but providers saw an urgent need to connect with their patients in a safe and effective way, and doing so was their primary concern – regardless of what happened on the regulatory front. 

RELATED:   17 Recently Launched COVID-19 Vaccine Management Solutions to Know

But like many cloud-based technologies that allow remote work during the crisis, telehealth has rocketed into the mainstream with significant implications for the healthcare market post-COVID. 

With the door now pushed wide open, there is significant potential for expansion of telehealth throughout the industry — and as demand continues to surge, several sectors of healthcare, in particular, will see the most impact. 


Small to Mid-Sized Practices 

Independent physician practices, particularly in primary care or other generalist specialties, have been among the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. These small to mid-sized businesses are seeing in-person patient visits canceled due to social distancing precautions. 

Even as certain states or municipalities reopen their economies, this challenge is likely to continue through the end of the year. Thus, in the short-term, telehealth and virtual care solutions are a lifeline to these physician practices’ financial viability. They allow physicians and staff to continue billing for services while strengthening relationships with patients who value the counsel and medical advice of their own trusted doctors. 

Over the long term, virtual health technologies will drive higher physician and patient satisfaction, greater internal efficiencies, and better care quality for these practices – all leading to an overall improved patient experience. Widespread adoption may also result in telehealth being used more broadly to address the nation’s rural physician shortage by extending the digital reach of practices to anyone with a smartphone. 


Behavioral Health and Long-Term Care 

Like physician practices, specialists in behavioral health have been slow to adopt virtual health solutions in the past, but that’s now changing. 

With nearly 44 million Americans experiencing mental illness in a given year but only 40% of adults receiving treatment – due to factors like specialist shortages and ongoing social stigmas – virtual health is primed to carve out a greater share of the behavioral health market following the pandemic. From the privacy and comfort of their own home, those dealing with anxiety, depression, or eating disorders, for example, can receive support and treatment without fear or judgment. 

Likewise, a growing number of seniors and those in long-term care settings prefer to receive treatment from home instead of a facility, creating a need for low-cost alternatives as the population ages. Using telehealth and virtual care technology, long-term care providers are poised to meet this demand for home care during the crisis – protecting vulnerable elderly ones most at-risk from COVID-19 – while positioning themselves for the future. 


Why Telehealth is Now a Must Have 

Telehealth has rocketed into the public’s consciousness, and it will continue to evolve and become more ingrained in our healthcare system even after the pandemic subsides. As patients become accustomed to the flexibility and convenience of telehealth, and providers are able to accommodate more patients and push for fewer regulatory restrictions, it will become mainstream. Several trends will drive this long-term. 

Traditional services that are complemented by telehealth meet changing patient expectations, as well as significantly lower costs and expand access to care. Such a system will be embraced not only by physicians and patients but also by insurers and employers. 

Looking forward, more providers across the continuum of care will adopt telehealth and solutions partners will expand offerings to combine video chat, secure text, broadcast and other technologies to create a true “virtual care” environment. This will not be a “nice to have” but a requirement to stay in business. Virtual care will truly transform healthcare with modern, impactful ways to maximize patient engagement, improve outcomes, and enable more timely, efficient connections between patients and their physicians. 


About Michael Morgan, CEO of Updox 

With a successful track record in helping organizations use technology to transform the way healthcare is delivered, Mike has more than 25 years of healthcare leadership within software, behavioral health, and HIT organizations. Updox was named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies in America for the past five consecutive years.


Tagged With: Behavioral Health, cloud, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Depression, HIT, Home Care, Mental Illness, Partners, patient engagement, Patient Experience, Patient Satisfaction, Physician Practices, physicians, Primary Care, risk, telehealth, Telehealth Services, Updox, video, Virtual Care, Virtual Visits

[ultimatesocial networks="facebook,twitter,google,linkedin,mail" url="" custom_class="us-posts-bottom" align="left" count="false"]

Get in-depth healthcare technology analysis and commentary delivered straight to your email weekly

« R1 Acquires Cerner RevWorks to Extend Revenue Cycle Capabilities
Fitbit Unveils FDA-Approved Low-Cost Emergency Ventilator to Address COVID-19 Pandemic »

Subscribe to HIT Consultant

Latest insightful articles delivered straight to your inbox weekly.

Submit a Tip or Pitch

Recent Articles

  • Cerner Leadership Changes, Other Key Executives Hires

    ... more
  • QGenda acquires Shift Admin – M&A

    QGenda Acquires Automated Provider Scheduling Platform Shift Admin – M&A

    ... more
  • Telehealth After COVID-19: What's Next for the Healthcare Industry?

    Transitioning from Traditional to E-Fax: How Healthcare Communications are Transforming Post-COVID

    ... more
  • FCC COVID-19 Telehealth Program Providers

    FCC Unveils 14 Initial Projects Selected for $100M Connected Care Pilot Program

    ... more

Most Read

  • Cerner Leadership Changes, Other Key Executives Hires
  • 20 COVID-19 Predictions and Trends for 2021 - Executive Roundup 20 COVID-19 Predictions and Trends for 2021 – Executive Roundup
  • 5G in Healthcare: 7 Advantages & Disadvantages for Providers to Know 5G in Healthcare: 7 Advantages & Disadvantages for Providers to Know
  • Job Titles for Healthcare Executives The Top 9 Most In-Demand Medical Jobs
  • 30 Executives Share Top Healthcare Predictions & Trends to Watch in 2021 30 Executives Share Top Healthcare Predictions & Trends to Watch in 2021
  • FDA Approves COVID-19 Oral Fluid Test for Use Nationwide In-Depth: 32 FDA-Approved COVID-19 Testing Kits
  • FCC COVID-19 Telehealth Program Providers FCC Unveils 14 Initial Projects Selected for $100M Connected Care Pilot Program
  • Healthcare Breach Report 2016 6 Ways Health Informatics Is Transforming Health Care
  • Travel Nurse Pay Nearly Doubles Nationwide from Coronavirus Outbreak Travel Nurse Pay Nearly Doubles Nationwide from Coronavirus Outbreak
  • CVS Health Launches Senior Medical Alert System, Symphony CVS Health Launches Senior Medical Alert System, Symphony

Company

  • About Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Reprints and Permissions
  • 2020 Editorial Calendar
  • Submit An Op-Ed
  • Contact
  • Subscribe

Editorial Coverage

  • Opinion
  • Health IT
    • Care Coordination
    • EMR/EHR
    • Interoperability
    • Population Health Management
    • Revenue Cycle Management
  • Digital Health
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Blockchain Tech
    • Precision Medicine
    • Telehealth
    • Wearables
  • Startups
  • Value-Based Care
    • Accountable Care
    • Medicare Advantage

Connect

Subscribe to HIT Consultant Media

Latest insightful articles delivered straight to your inbox weekly

Copyright © 2021. HIT Consultant Media. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy |