Open AccessUnpacking a Telemedical Takeover: Recommendations for Improving the Sustainability and Usage of Telemedicine Post-COVID-19
Author(s) -
Trisha Kaundinya,
Rishi Agrawal
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
quality management in health care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.401
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1550-5154
pISSN - 1063-8628
DOI - 10.1097/qmh.0000000000000329
Subject(s) - telemedicine , pandemic , business , covid-19 , health care , medical emergency , medicine , infectious disease (medical specialty) , economic growth , economics , disease , pathology
Telemedicine technology and regulation have been steadily growing over the last 2 decades. Prior to the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the availability of telemedicine in health systems and coverage of telemedicine were variable. Sudden and improved access to telemedicine was propelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, during which governments, insurers, and health systems ramped up telemedical utilization with short-term exceptions and waivers. As in-person care opportunities open back up, the presence of telemedicine is not receding and thus its widespread adoption needs to be facilitated outside pandemic-specific conditions. Long-term funding for telemedicine acquisition, centralized electronic health records, extended waivers related to telemedicine coverage and use, a Medicaid expansion that involves parity in telemedicine and in-person care, a nationalized licensure system, and an assessment of what types of care settings can and cannot utilize telemedicine are necessary recommendations to improve the sustainability of telemedicine after the pandemic.