Stakeholders Call for Continued Access to Telehealth

Although virtual care utilization is beginning to fade, researchers from the Center for Connected Medicine (CCM) and KLAS believe that continuing access to telehealth will enhance the future of healthcare.

As the COVID-19 pandemic becomes more normalized, many hospitals have terminated in-person care for non-emergency visits. However, the CCM states that, currently, 20 percent of all appointments are virtual.

In addition, a CCM- conducted survey states that 30 percent of patient volume is virtual and that this will likely decrease in the time to come.

Despite these statistics, many health systems believe that maintaining telehealth in the future is essential.

The findings within a CCM report called “The Intersection of Value and Telehealth: Survey Findings on Adoption and Utilization” concluded that maintaining affordable costs and managing the health of patient populations are two benefits that telehealth provides.

Previous KLAS and CCM research also found that organizations have attempted to improve the quality of care delivered through telehealth.

Previously, 77 percent of respondents were making efforts to analyze telehealth use and patient behaviors. In this report, this share of respondents rose to 92 percent.

“Telemedicine is an important technology for advancing care and improving value at health systems. While utilization has declined compared with pandemic highs of 2020, we continue to invest in our telehealth capabilities because it is the right thing to do for our communities,” Rob Bart, MD, chief medical information Officer of UPMC, one of the nation’s largest integrated health systems and a founding partner of the CCM, said in the press release.

Recently, various organizations have found telehealth helpful, reinforcing the call for continued access.

In November 2021, the American Telemedicine Association and 48 stakeholder groups wrote to Congress, asking for access to telehealth.  The stakeholders were motivated by the benefits it telehealth brings to both patients and employees and its ability to deliver behavioral health services in a widespread, affordable manner.

Rural health has also experienced various benefits from telehealth services provide. A report from Connected Nation Michigan found that five rural counties in Michigan saw a sharp increase in telehealth use and that many residents expressed interest in continuing this practice following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) also supported access to telehealth following the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2020, ACR released a position paper that described their organization’s confidence in the need for telehealth access.

ACR also made recommendations for the future. These future proposals included the use of telehealth across various states and, performing research on how rheumatology can use telehealth.