COVID-19 has opened telehealth, virtual care to the masses
Three months after President Trump declared the COVID-19 crisis a national emergency, around 90% of hospitals are using telehealth to virtually meet patients, 57% are tapping the technology for screening and triaging, and 45% are going virtual to help automate outreach efforts.
That’s according to 1,000 or so healthcare executives around the country who responded to a survey commissioned by San Francisco-based Innovaccer.
The health-tech company drew from the data to produce a report exploring the use of virtual care and telemedicine during the pandemic and forecasting how such utilization may continue after the crisis recedes.
Lead report author Paul Grundy, MD, MPH, Innovaccer’s chief transformation officer, and colleagues further found that a majority of hospitals are now using standalone telemedicine products rather than those that are part of their EHR.
In a press release, Grundy comments that the pandemic has “changed the way we look at our healthcare system. The ideas and strategies that were groundbreaking before are not very suitable to deal with the current situation.”
The full report is available upon submission of contact info.
Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.