2020 saw a massive increase in telehealth use, estimated at 175X the pre-COVID rate.
The elderly became increasingly comfortable with using telehealth.
CARES Act grants supported the hospitals and clinics investing in telehealth.
Health plans leveraged telehealth in 2020 for virtual Annual Wellness Visits and risk adjustment visits for their members
However, telehealth was not accessible to many due to:
lack of home broadband
Inadequate mobile devices, or limited mobile broadband
limited digital literacy
Telehealth in 2021 - What to expect?
Telehealth will grow to 5% of in person visits globally in 2021, from an estimated 1% in 2019, according to projections by Deloitte
CMS telehealth regulations will continue to evolve post-PHE, but experts agree that virtual care will continue to be a reimbursed treatment modality
New funding for FQHCs, health clinics and hospitals will be available; the recent relief package from Congress includes $250 million for the FCC's COVID-19 Telehealth Program
More attention will be given to the under-connected, and new solutions will emerge that will enable the underserved to use virtual care.
Sano Health provides virtual care care enablement solutions for healthcare providers and health payors to extend access to the vulnerable and under-connected
