It seems almost surreal that just five months ago, telemedicine was still widely considered a “nice to have” and not a “need to have.” As soon as the coronavirus pandemic hit Rhode Island with full force, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island quickly made the decision to provide coverage for telemedicine services by all of its in-network providers with no cost to members. Telemedicine visits surged 50% in March, and now virtual health-care interactions are on pace to top $1 billion nationally in 2020, according to Forrester Research.
Going to the doctor isn’t always an option now, but not everyone has access to the necessary devices for virtual visits. A group of college students is trying to change that.
As the pro bono Chief Administrative Officer of Anchor Health Initiative (AHI), the largest Connecticut health care company serving the primary and specialty needs of the LGBTQ community, I have witnessed firsthand the beneficial impact of telemedicine (also referred to as telehealth) on the lives of our more than 1500 patients.
One of the many things the pandemic has changed is the way people see their doctors. Almost overnight, patients began switching to so-called telehealth visits, a trend that's expected to last.
At least 10 million Medicare beneficiaries have used telehealth since early March, compared with about 13,000 weekly appointments pre-pandemic. Lawmakers and regulators are looking at making some of the current expansions permanent. Among the issues that policymakers would need to address are the cost and quality of remote care, as well as determining which services are appropriate for telemedicine.
On the heels of Teladoc’s landscape-shifting deal to buy Livongo, telemedicine rival MDLive is setting its sights on a public offering early next year, the company’s chief executive officer told STAT.