Telemedicine to surge in the US as regulations change in response to coronavirus

Use of telemedicine in the US has been low to date. However, it is expected that demand for these services will increase dramatically over the next few months due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, says GlobalData. Telemedicine has been touted as a critical strategy during the COVID-19 emergency to limit the risk of person-to-person transmission of the virus, prevent emergency rooms from being inundated, reduce barriers to screening, and allowing those with moderate symptoms to be treated from home. Teladoc Health, a telehealth provider, announced that patient visit volume had increased by 50% since the previous week and was continuing to rise. Kathryn Whitney, director of Thematic Analysis at GlobalData, comments, “Before the COVID-19 crisis, telemedicine had never reached its full potential in the US, with several barriers preventing its widespread uptake. These include lack of reimbursement and restrictions affecting access for rural populations, general lack of awareness of these services, and the desire of the sick to see their physician in person.” Since early March, regulations in the US governing the use of telemedicine…

Choose your subscription to read more