Dr. Erkan Hassan

Monthly Writings

Evaluations and reviews of the latest in the field.

Telemedicine's Path Forward

Telemedicine will continue to evolve as 1 of various tools in future virtual care models

Summary

  • The rise in virtual care will continue by patients and clinicians into the future.

  • Novel and varied uses of telemedicine modalities will evolve.

  • Future innovations will drive virtual-first care with more targeted care needs.

Review

TELEMEDICINE IS NOT GOING AWAY:

  • Telemedicine services have become entrenched in many solutions.

  • Telemedicine as evolved from a business model to a tool to connect patients and providers.

  • As a tool, telemedicine is combined with other tools (remote patient monitors, at-home tests, etc.) to engage and ultimately drive outcomes.

VIRTUAL-FIRST CARE:

  • The virtual care model will couple increased home monitoring with in-person care touchpoints driving the experience from online-to in-person and back again.

  • Telemedicine will move from a “one-size-fits-all” to accommodate different populations and specific clinical issues.

INCREASED INTEGRATION OF AUDIO/VIDEO AND ASYNCHRONOUS MODALITIES:

  • 2021 is the first year live video was the most used telemedicine modality.


  • The move to virtual-first care (as the initial involvement with health care) will make video and audio telemedicine modalities a tool commonly used.

  • Asynchronous telemedicine modalities will therefore, offer a variety of opportunities to enhance clinical efficiency, scalable, workforce model of patient experience.

  • The optimal mix of virtual and in-person modalities will need to be determined to improve outcomes at reduced costs.

 AN ALTERNATIVE RATHER THAN A REPLACEMENT FOR IN-PERSON CARE:In-Person Care:

  • Overall, patients are highly satisfied with telemedicine.

  • 2021 usage of video calls were for:

    • Minor illness (32%)

    • Medical emergency (20%)

    • Chronic condition (18%)

  • This is a change from 2020 where the primary use was medical emergency (33%)

  • Factors contributing to telemedicine satisfaction:

    • Convenience

    • Accessibility

    • Clinician “Webside Manner”

    • Patient’s needs met

    • Cost

FOCUS FOR THE FUTURE:

  • PERSONALIZATION for special populations with unique and distinct clinical needs.

    • One-size does NOT fit all

    • Specialization in digital healthcare for needs by population

  • DRIVE SATISFACTION with use for patient and provider.

    • Guides patient efficiently from healthcare need to fulfillment of need.

    • Triage and assign appropriate level of care

  • Telemedicine will improve the patient journey with appropriate virtual or in-person care

    • Triage

    • Diagnostics

    • Labs

    • Medication delivery

CONCLUSIONS:

  • Telemedicine has become entrenched in healthcare services and are well received by patients.

  • Asynchronous virtual-first care will be the predominate mode moving forward.

  • The path forward includes evolution of telemedicine from a “one-size-fits-all” model to specialized models by population and specific conditions.

  • Although not a replacement for in-person care, telemedicine should be used in conjunction with in-person visits to improve efficiency and outcomes.

Erkan Hassan