How Remote Health Solutions Supplement In-Person Care Between Visits

Date: 10/22/20

Telehealth encompasses a range of technologies to enable remote patient monitoring, immediate healthcare intervention, consultations with primary care and specialist providers, and more. These technologies give members access to healthcare services, treatments, and coaching when logistics make it difficult for them to receive care in person.

The current COVID-19 crisis has made in-person care more challenging than ever. Healthcare organizations are quickly adopting telehealth solutions as a way to connect with members remotely. Analysts predict that more than 1 billion healthcare interactions will occur through telehealth by the end of 2020. The growth won’t stop there: Experts predict that, by 2026, the market size will reach more than $175 billion, a nearly fourfold increase from 2019. 

The rapid adoption of telehealth solutions today and the growth of the market into the future will provide benefits long after the pandemic when it comes to supplementing in-person care.

The Benefits of Telehealth During and Beyond a Pandemic

During COVID-19, telehealth has been an important tool for providers and patients because it allows for care and intervention outside of hospital or office visits. For those who aren’t hospitalized from the virus, remote patient monitoring and other telehealth solutions can help prevent interruptions in their long-term care.

After the pandemic, telehealth will remain valuable because it allows members to receive care at the exact moment they need it, wherever they are — rather than waiting until their next scheduled in-person appointment.

This is especially beneficial for members with chronic conditions who must engage in self-management at home. Having a direct line of access to their providers to report worsening symptoms or ask questions empowers them to take control of their own health.

Telehealth solutions can also benefit rural populations without easy access to regular care. Specialty care, in particular, is often limited in rural communities. Many rural or semi-rural hospitals already use teleradiology and teleneurology to provide immediate care to stroke patients and members with similar emergencies. 

Why Telehealth Will Remain a Valuable Complement to In-Person Care

Telehealth solutions have already proven to be an effective way of communicating with and providing care for members. For example, in 2003, the University of Mississippi Medical Center launched one of the first tele-emergency medical programs. It connected three rural hospitals and their members to its Level 1 trauma center’s advanced services. 

As of November 2018, it had expanded its reach to 68 counties throughout the state and recorded more than 500,000 telehealth visits in more than 35 different medical specialties. Other providers now utilizing telehealth technologies are experiencing similar benefits in expanding their ability to communicate and connect with members.

It’s important to remember, however, that with all the benefits of telehealth services, they will never fully replace in-person physician visits. Healthcare can often seem intimidating, cold, and regimented — but it’s the doctors, nurses, and practitioners who can soften the experience with empathy and compassion and help put patients at ease.

Telehealth comes in as an important supplemental tool to ease other factors that might be limiting members’ access to care. Location, transportation, and scheduling issues are just a few. As providers continue to adopt telehealth solutions to enable care, the rapid proliferation of digital patient-provider communication can expand the accessibility of care to wider populations and promote better health outcomes well into the future. For more information on how to improve access to care, read the Strategies for Improving Rural Access to Primary Care Whitepaper (PDF).