A well-known proverb posits that necessity is the mother of invention. And while telehealth slightly predates the worldwide COVID-19 calamity, we were sure glad — and relieved — the technology was available when the pandemic threatened in-person care.

Before COVID, in-office care was the only viable option healthcare organizations had for most appointments. But plying telehealth as a safe delivery method during COVID protocols opened a broad range of care and revenue possibilities for providers. Telehealth use by providers exploded from 22 percent of physicians offering it in 2019 to 80 percent in 2020.

In response, patients readily and rapidly adopted telemedicine during the pandemic. Between June and November of 2020, more than 30 percent of all weekly health center visits took place via telehealth. Though only 11 percent of U.S. patients participated in telehealth visits in 2019, that figure quadrupled in 2020 to nearly 50 percent. Feedback from patients who scheduled telehealth visits both for safety and convenience is overwhelmingly positive. Eighty-three percent of Americans expect to continue to rely on telehealth visits even after COVID.

Telehealth has been an elixir for hospital systems and medical practices both to resume care and to crawl out of the financial rubble caused by the pandemic. The technology also helps providers attain the following:

Advancement of a new business model that emphasizes consumer-based care.
Expanded access to care and allows providers to reach more patients.
Increased practice efficiency and is less time-consuming for patients and providers (a regular in-person visit takes 121 minutes of patients’ time compared to 16 minutes for a telehealth visit).
Increased revenue while reducing costs (average cost of an on-site visit is $146 compared to $79 for a telehealth visit).

https://www.healthitoutcomes.com/doc/making-strides-toward-greater-success-in-virtual-care-0001