Are Telehealth Appointments Here to Stay?
Telemedicine has taken on a more important role in recent months. Because of the pandemic, millions of people are using phone calls and video to communicate with their doctors. However, as the effects of the pandemic are letting up across the United States, some wonder how long telemedicine will be around.
Is Telemedicine Here to Stay?
There are a couple of factors that will determine the answer to that question. First, insurance companies, including Medicare and private health insurers, will need to provide sufficient coverage for virtual doctor visits. This coverage will need to continue after the coronavirus pandemic has subsided.
Second, patients will need to be interested in virtual visits. For example, during the height of the pandemic, online doctor visits in Georgia increased dramatically as hospitals filled up and more people were concerned with staying safe from the virus. People are still opting for a secure and cost-effective way to care for common illnesses via an online virtual visit as opposed to driving to a physician’s office, waiting in the emergency room, and seeing a healthcare provider in person.
As the impact of the pandemic is fading, some patients are returning to doctors’ offices and emergency rooms. Many prefer face-to-face contact with their medical professionals.
Medicare and private insurers are currently funding most virtual doctors’ visits. However, some of that coverage is slated to disappear once coronavirus is no longer considered a public health emergency. Most insurance companies will cover virtual visits until the fall of 2021. But there are a lot of questions as to whether they are going to continue allowing patients to get care virtually as opposed to visiting the doctor after that time.
While the medical profession is there to care for the health and well-being of patients, it is also a business. Money drives the decisions that are being made. If telemedicine puts reimbursements in jeopardy, then it is unlikely to continue.
Appreciating the Benefits of Telemedicine
However, there is also the positive impact telemedicine has had on both doctors and patients. Telemedicine allows doctors to stay engaged with their patients. Since the travel time is removed, doctors and patients can interact with each other frequently.
From a legal standpoint, there is support for telehealth. For telehealth to be a permanent part of the Medicare program, the legislature would have to make drastic changes.
Many in the healthcare field feel that stepping back from telehealth would be a big mistake. They feel that it is best for doctors to communicate with their patients over the phone or using videoconferencing. And they feel that doctors should be reimbursed at the same rate for virtual visits as they are for those that are in person.
Evidence of the benefits of telehealth include the fact that during the first few months of the pandemic, millions of patients availed themselves of telehealth. For example, according to reports, federal spending through Medicare accounted for $4 billion for telehealth during the months of March and April in 2020. Comparatively, during the months of March and April in 2019, the federal government spent $60 million for telehealth.
With all of its benefits, there is still a lot of convincing to do regarding the value of telehealth. Doctors need to prove to insurance companies that telehealth is a viable way of treating serious conditions and chronic ailments.
For all that is known about telemedicine, there are still a lot of questions left unanswered. For telemedicine to become a permanent part of how infirmities are treated, it is going to have to be cost-effective, it will have to produce returns on investments, and it will have to improve the quality of health for patients.
