As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many physicians and healthcare organizations have turned to telehealth to address patients’ care needs. While critical to preventing the virus’s spread and preserving personal protective equipment, this move can exacerbate an equity gap in care for some.
The federal government has implemented programs that provide more latitude for physicians to care for patients remotely and expanded internet access for vulnerable patients to promote telehealth services. Health care providers play a critical role in recognizing and addressing disparities among their patients and in their local community. Here are a few tips for enhancing telehealth equity at your practice.
Understanding Your Patients
The first step in making your practice more equitable is learning and understanding the needs, abilities, challenges and concerns of your patients when it comes to using telehealth.
For some, barriers that hinder the ability to use telehealth, include lack of broadband connectivity, limited or no access to video-enabled devices and difficulty navigating technology.
It also is important to understand patients’ attitudes towards telehealth. Despite an uptick in interest for information via the internet, people are still concerned about their privacy and the usage of their medical data. Patients want to feel safe knowing that their data obtained from telehealth monitoring programs will be kept private.
Technologies and Telehealth Advancements
There are several components of traditional face-to-face, in-office visits telehealth can replicate that make patient appointments safer, more efficient, and less expensive. Many of these include secure texting, video-based communications platforms and the ability for a patient to simply snap a photo of a rash or skin lesion with their phone and send to their doctor without ever leaving their home.
For patients who might not have access to video, audio-only telehealth is a great solution but can present reimbursement challenges.
For providers who care for patients with chronic illnesses and must collect and evaluate patient generated health data on a regular basis, there are devices and other developments that allow this to be done remotely – a worthwhile investment for practices as insurers move to reimbursement for remote patient monitoring. Other elements like bodyweight, physical activity, medication adherence and cardiac rhythms are examples of health elements that can be monitored remotely without devices but may require patient-training and regular communication follow-ups to collect data.
TeleStroke is an example of a real-time, low-cost telehealth program. This online system uses interactive videoconferencing and digital image transfers that allow experts at large urban centers to evaluate acute stroke patients in community and rural hospitals to apply time-critical, clot-dissolving intravenous medications.
These, along with other breakthroughs, will pave the way for a whole new method for delivering care for patients who may not be aware these health interactions take place.
Implementing Equity in Your Telehealth Plan
Like technology, the landscape of telehealth is ever evolving. There are educational resources, tools and tips designed to enhance virtual care and ensure an equal opportunity for all patients, despite disparities and limitations.
When utilizing new devices or platforms, be sure to invest in the time it takes to train staff and patients. Have technical support readily available on an ongoing basis and be sure to document processes for onboarding patients who might be using virtual services for the first time ever.
Be as flexible as possible to see patients in person or virtually, and ensure your patients understand the benefits of virtual care.
Telehealth is a game-changing breakthrough that’s transforming health care, and its effect is only going to grow. Improving the efficiency of the U.S. healthcare system will require rethinking healthcare delivery as patient centered. Telehealth might bring a new landscape to health care that both patients and providers accept. Identify new pathways of care delivery that increase treatment value and cut costs.