Assessing the Telehealth Landscape Amid Uncertainty
The COVID-19 public health emergency has been prolonged to July 2022, which also extended the use of telehealth waivers. Many in the healthcare industry are hesitant to make lasting investments in virtual care while uncertainty looms about future reimbursement for telehealth.
The ATA has been advocating for permanent access to telehealth services across the care continuum. But what is the “right” proportion of telehealth to in-person health visits? That’s a question Dr. Joseph Kvedar, immediate past chair and senior adviser to the ATA and professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School, posed during his keynote session, “Now What? Creating Opportunity in a Time of Uncertainty.”
Telehealth usage has dropped off from the height of its use in 2020, but it remains well above pre-pandemic levels. According to FAIR Health, telehealth made up 5.4 percent of the volume of medical claims in January 2022 compared with 7 percent in January 2021 and just 0.24 percent in January 2020.
“There’s no question that there’s been growth. When I ask my patients if they want to do a telehealth or in-person visit they know exactly what I’m talking about. We’ve come a long way,” said Kvedar. “Some people say that’s a victory, and we can all go home. I don’t agree with that, but I don’t know what amount of telehealth is ‘enough.’”