Care anywhere, anytime, on any screen: COVID-19 as a turning point for virtual health
How would you feel if you could no longer access virtual health appointments? The CARES Act temporarily enabled virtual health appointments to be reimbursed at the same payment rate as in-person care at a national level, resulting in a sharp increase in visits. However, the future of virtual care visits is uncertain if these temporary provisions don’t become permanent law. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Virtual visits saw a boom in 2020 thanks to several factors, but what are consumers, physicians and healthcare leaders saying about virtual health and its future? How would you feel if the option of virtual health was taken away? Watch the video and share your thoughts with us.
Virtual health could be at risk if the government doesn’t pass new legislation extending telehealth flexibilities, such as payment parity. What are your thoughts on how we access and pay for virtual consults today? Would you miss virtual consults if they were no longer available?
Much of our lives revolve around the internet today, from watching a movie in a few clicks to planning our next vacation, making it hard to believe that the things we now take for granted were vastly different just a few years ago. Virtual health is one of them.
Back in 2019, virtual health wasn’t common practice in the industry. As 2020 came around, two factors caused a significant shift. On January 1, The Georgia Telehealth Act went into effect, introducing payment parity, which permitted virtual health delivery at the same payment level as in-person visits. Later in the month, a second turning point occurred when the United States declared COVID-19 as a public health emergency on January 31.
In response to COVID-19 and the increased strain on hospitals, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued waivers in March 2020 to expand telehealth – such as allowing services at home and giving access to patients in urban areas. These waivers were crucial during a time when patients couldn’t access hospitals as usual due to fear of infections and overwhelmed staff prioritizing the sickest and most vulnerable populations.
Shortly after, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, reinforcing these flexibilities, introducing payment parity on a national level, and broadening telehealth use.
During COVID-19 and the ensuing lockdowns, consumer preferences shifted. And it was a turning point, indeed. Medicare telehealth visits jumped from about 840,000 in 2019 to 52.7 million in 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Here at Wellstar, we also saw a spike in visits in March 2020 and subsequent spikes matching the arrival of new COVID-19 variants. As the number of virtual patient visits climbed, so did patient satisfaction scores. Our data shows that patient satisfaction scores with virtual health visits are now on par with in-patient visits.
This shift seems to show the desire of patients to access health services whenever and wherever they want, rather than depending on a physical hospital. Many people have experienced a similar trend in their work life, with virtual offices becoming more commonplace.
Despite the advantages of virtual health visits, it’s important to note that some health concerns are still best addressed when patients are face-to-face with the doctor at a physical office.
“There are certain scenarios or certain illnesses where physicians still need to listen to a patient’s lungs or listen to their heart,” said Sally Eckford, AVP Virtual Health at Wellstar. “I do think that there’s a time and a place for virtual medicine, but obviously, it will never completely take the place of having an in-person visit.”
Thomas, a community member interviewed at Piedmont Park, sees advantages in both types of visits.
“I prefer going in-person. I feel like I can have a better connection to the doctor,” he said. “But I am not opposed to telemed, especially if I can get an appointment earlier.”
While the present is exciting, some questions must be answered as we head into the future. How can virtual health care be expanded with innovations for better at-home diagnostics? How can we ensure that all segments of society have access to this technology? What improvements to privacy do we need to work on while continuing to provide the care patients need today?
This boom in virtual health was possible, in large part, due to the parity laws introduced in 2020, requiring insurers to reimburse telemedicine care at the same rate as in-person care. The House of Representatives passed a bill extending these flexibilities until the end of 2024. This bill is now in the Senate, but questions remain on what could happen if it doesn’t become law.
If this bill does not pass, would it undo the strides we achieved during the pandemic? Would providers continue to invest in the technology needed for these services? Now, more than ever, the voice of customers will shape how health continues to be delivered in the future as we emerge into a post-pandemic world.
Your Voice
As someone without health insurance, Cindy has used virtual health several times for convenience and cost. She’d miss this option if it were no longer available. Have you participated in virtual consults in the past? What do you like most about virtual appointments?
