Out of the darkness, comes light.
 
Telehealth has been the saving grace of the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling patients and physicians to safely access and deliver healthcare amid strict lockdowns and rampant waves of infection. Though its growth slowed considerably this year, telehealth is nevertheless a permanent fixture in the medical field.

Telehealth utilization is 38 times higher now than it was before the pandemic, McKinsey & Company data indicates, and both consumer and provider attitudes toward remote care have improved as well. After initially spiking to more than 32 percent of office and outpatient visits in April 2020, telehealth utilization currently ranges between 13 percent and 17 percent across all specialties, the management consulting firm reported in July.

“Telehealth appears poised to stay a robust option for care,” McKinsey’s article stated. “Strong continued uptake, favorable consumer perception, the regulatory environment, and strong investment into this space are all contributing to this rate of adoption.”
 
Yet challenges threaten to prevent telehealth from realizing its full potential. The difficulties include the need for better data integration and improved data flows, equity concerns, large-scale access (high-speed broadband internet is not available in many rural areas), patient privacy, reimbursement, and professional licensing, among others.
 
MPO’s feature “Face to (Virtual) Face” explores the barriers telehealth must overcome to ensure its long-term growth, and spotlights some of the virtual tools available to doctors and patients. John Carlson, former president of Health Solutions at Flex Ltd., was among the handful of industry experts interviewed for the story. His full input is provided in the following Q&A.
 
Michael Barbella: There are some clinical elements related to healthcare that telehealth cannot help with. What diseases/conditions and what specific aspects of medicine can telehealth help most with? Conversely, are there instances in which telehealth is not a preferred solution? 
John Carlson: Telehealth as a diagnostic and care management tool makes a lot of sense. It also works very well for data communication and symptom reporting in a follow up setting. It works well for recording events and collecting episodic information and for visual connection with patients and symptom reporting or easily visually identifiable issues. But telehealth does not replace physician or HCP direct patient interaction. As soon as an intervention is required or any direct contact with the patient, telehealth cannot meet the need. What has been enabled with the growth of telehealth is access to the initial stages of care…asking the first questions and seeking advice, and also a platform for follow up of acute care. The addition of data to telehealth through connected devices creates opportunity for telehealth to extend its use.   
 
Barbella: How can the robust growth in telehealth services be maintained after COVID-19 is brought under control?
Carlson: The pandemic changed how telehealth was reimbursed and it became not only a viable option but in many cases a preferred one. That natural adoption will continue to grow as patients don’t want to return to everything being in person. The addition of things like wearable sensors and home based diagnostics add rich data to the telehealth experience. Chronic diseases like diabetes can be managed at home with excellent data communicated through telehealth. Monitoring of heart rhythm through wearable EKG monitors lets some of the diagnosis and management process be managed through telehealth. Investment in these technologies that add data to telehealth will fuel its growth. 
 
Barbella: What specific barriers and/or challenges will make it difficult for telehealth services to continue its momentum in the post-pandemic world? How can these challenges be overcome?
Carlson: The investment in products that enhance the richness of data included in telehealth will expand its usefulness and overcome the barriers to growth of non-data rich interactions. The technology is available to make sure it happens. 
 
Barbella: How likely is it that the collaboration, creativity, and open innovation that prevented the global healthcare system from collapsing during COVID-19’s initial assault last spring will continue once life returns to “normal”?
Carlson: I cannot speak to the operation of healthcare systems, but I can say as a manufacturer, we have changed how we work to capture the lessons learned in 2020 that have made us an even better and more capable organization that we were going into it. We operationalized the practices and procedures that allowed us to move faster than we ever had before, without any compromise on quality, documentation or regulation.
 
Barbella: What specific aspects of telehealth services must be improved upon in order for the technology to continue to grow after the pandemic?
Carlson: Expansion of smart devices will further its growth and help healthcare move from hospital to home.  When data can be collected at home and integrated into the care equation, more remote based care is possible. In addition, common platforms and infrastructure will help physicians to manage workflow, and manage their patients drug treatment regimens through telehealth. BrightInsight is a good example of the ”back end” infrastructure, on a SAAS model that streamlines workflow and makes it easy for patients to engage.