What's next for telehealth as patients return in person and emergency status ends
WCAX
Telehealth appointments took over during the pandemic, but now in-office is the norm again.
Both Gifford Medical Center and the Rutland Regional Medical Center said telehealth is being used less now than it was three years ago when it began in full force. And a big question for the future of telehealth is insurance reimbursement, and balancing which types of patient care are most suited to the format.
At Gifford Medical Center, Dr. Joshua White said they never went completely virtual at the start of the pandemic but and that creating telehealth options was a massive investment. “We had to make sure that now every provider had access to a Zoom account -- that was what we used initially, a webcam. And then, of course, all of the training and education,” said White.
A major use of telehealth is appointments with a mental health therapist. White said it’s used less in specialty and primary care, but it is still used in some cases.