Will more healthcare organizations deploy more telehealth solutions?

Since last March, healthcare management has cleared the normal roadblocks to investment in — and implementation of — telehealth solutions to accommodate thousands of patients who would otherwise go untreated.

Virtual meetings with doctors and specialists, which used to be counted in dozens over a typical month, are now approaching hundreds in smaller practices and thousands in large providers. HIMSS research confirms that telemedicine interactions increased by 145 percent between February and August 2020.

Will telehealth  peak out as the pandemic comes under control and face-to-face appointments return? The answer is hinged on the value it adds  to the patient experience and whether it eases stress on medical staff.

Satisfied patients?

Wakefield Research shows that many patients accessed their first-ever telehealth visit in 2020, as people adhered to stay-at-home orders and limited their exposure to public spaces where they might risk infection. As they saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and it seems as though many providers nailed these initial encounters, with 75 percent of patients expressing satisfaction with their telehealth visit. This mirrors recent J.D. Power survey information showing a 9-point increase in patient satisfaction with telehealth in 2020.

Reduced stress?

While telehealth solutions can create convenience by eliminating the long drives remote patients would need for a traditional office visits, they are not always stress-free experience for clinicians. For example, unreliable connectivity or other technology issues can hinder a physician’s ability to thoroughly examine a patient during a telehealth visit.

Health IT leaders reinforce the need for a reliable connectivity infrastructure to support a massive increase in bandwidth demands related to telehealth technologies, and they are investing big to modernize their networks.

Also, human error is a leading cause for technology troubles. Providers now look at telehealth onboarding and training to help reduce the number of these issues.

The future is near?

What do you think? Is adoption of telehealth technology destined to grow?

I invite you to join the conversation on the future of telehealth in this webinar I recently hosted with HIMSS, Telehealth 2.0: Developing a Long-Term Strategy. In it, we discuss HIMSS research into recent telehealth developments and what healthcare organizations need to know moving forward.