Opinion: Targeting the 'superusers' of healthcare with telehealth

The consumer version of "telehealth" is both easy to imagine and easy to use. Faced with a healthcare event or condition (that isn't 911), a consumer uses a smartphone, tablet or desktop connection to engage clinical care in real?time. The cost is relatively affordable (even outside of insurance) and it saves an annoying trip to either a walk?in clinic or the local urgent care. It's the video equivalent of "1?800?doctor" or the nursing call center. It's an important consumer category of primary care, of course, but what about the so?called "superusers?" These are the 5% of patients ? often elderly ? that have multiple chronic conditions and account for up to 50% of all healthcare spending.