The battle against the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has yet to die down, with cases all over the world ceasing to be stifled. The current situation has seen a total of 4.28 million confirmed cases springing up worldwide, with merely a fourth of that—around 1.5 million—being declared as recovered cases.
The massive spread of the pandemic has yet to slow down, with many more cases still hiding around the corner, yet undiagnosed. Governments all over the world have directed their efforts towards minimizing the infection rates—implementing lockdowns, strict quarantine procedures, and even stricter social distancing protocol. Civil unrest has risen to a boiling point, with many clamoring to be let-out, as the fear of the virus is shutting down the economy and life as we know it in totality.
The Shining Beacon—Telehealth
The biggest and brightest advancement that this pandemic has caused is the push for the widespread use of telehealth. Formerly a way devised to catering to underserved areas in society, its limited contact has provided the safest way to start shaving off the numbers of people flocking to hospitals.
What was once a community comprised of a minority of health professionals has now boomed into a larger, more effective solution to front lining for modern healthcare. The agreement of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to pay for office and hospital telehealth visits to various providers has cemented this transition to online consultations—making it the primary approach for the common person to seek medical attention.
The ease of certain protocols, such as certain federal HIPAA requirements and discretion regarding patient co-pays, are continually improving the telehealth experience for both providers and patients alike. The result is a bridge to the age-old problem of poor distribution of health care access all across the United States—thus bringing equal healthcare to all homes, no matter the distance.
Why Use Telehealth
The most obvious benefit of telehealth is the added layer of security and protection of both patients and healthcare professionals from infection—which is more important now, with the threat of the pandemic going around. It saves on certain logistical requirements such as the dwindling personal protective equipment that is more needed on the front lines of the battle against COVID-19 rather than general check-ups.
Beyond this, the capability of utilizing retired—but still licensed—medical professionals has added to the healthcare workforce through this technique, thus bridging the increased need of personnel catering to the health of the general populace.
Through proper implementation and furthering guidelines for the use of telehealth, it can change the way that healthcare is provided entirely. With more options to choose from by utilizing an easily accessible method of delivering care, patients all over can get the medical attention they need for almost any type of diagnosis. For professionals, this would also cancel out the logistical issue of having to obtain medical licenses for different states—by conducting online consultations, they can reach their patients through the simple touch of a button.
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