Social distancing is challenging how we work, learn, and play. But it doesn’t mean we can’t get the medical care we need so desperately right now.
Telehealth, virtual care enabled by our ever-growing connectivity, means we can get expertise from care providers without leaving our homes and exposing ourselves or others to COVID-19.
The Trump administration announced last month that Medicare will temporarily pay healthcare practitioners to provide telehealth services for beneficiaries across the country. The Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services announced it will waive potential penalties for HIPAA violations against health care providers that use virtual care. We have increasingly used virtual care tools in the United States, and COVID-19 has rightfully sped up its adoption.
Amid the pandemic, telehealth companies are connecting patients to vital healthcare services through videoconferencing, remote monitoring, electronic consultations, and wireless communications. But we will need collaboration among technology industry leaders, health care companies, medical personnel, and government officials to ensure proper care for an exponential influx of patients in the coming months.
COVID-19 has demonstrated the vital importance of ongoing and robust investment in tech development for digital health. In the past few years, the telehealth market has grown at a staggering rate — from $1.7 billion in 2016 to a projected $2.6 billion in 2020. Last year, 68% of physicians said they intended to use remote patient monitoring technology in the coming years. But without the investment and innovation we’ve seen over the past several years, we would not be prepared as a country to deal with the health care challenges we now face.
Virtual doctor visits have surged. Healthcare providers are trying to contain the spread of the virus by giving medical advice to patients remotely — so only the most serious cases must receive treatment in person. This is also valuable for patients who need routine care for other medical conditions and medical professionals who must continue to help the sick. Healthcare workers at hospitals, for example, are using iPads to communicate with patients in isolation.
Some of our nation’s best-known companies are helping to bring digital health benefits to those in need. Walgreens and Walmart are boosting testing capacity by setting up drive-through testing sites at some of their locations. Google Alphabet’s subsidiary, Verily, a company that focuses on biomedical applications, is developing a website that will help connect people to nearby testing stations. CVS Health is waiving delivery charges for prescription medication and has partnered with Aetna to create benefits for patients with the coronavirus.
By sharing information about their digital health innovations on this web resource, our member companies are providing an invaluable tool for people looking for answers during this health crisis.
Seventy-six percent of U.S. hospitals use some form of telehealth services. But challenges remain in the widespread adoption of telehealth services. According to the American Hospital Association, “Limited access to adequate broadband services hampers the ability of some rural facilities to deploy telehealth,” and “the challenge of cross-state licensure also looms as a major issue.”
We also need to adopt a universal standard for telehealth. This will require transparency and consensus-based practices to better guide developers, providers, and patients. In March, CTA introduced a new set of industry-created principles for virtual care tools.
We also convened more than 50 organizations to develop the first-ever ANSI-accredited standard for the use of artificial intelligence in health care. The standard provides a framework for better understanding AI terminology — a critical step in making telemedicine safer and more convenient. The continued public-private teamwork between government and the tech sector is critical to fighting this outbreak.
New innovations in digital health will not only make our communities and our world more resilient — they’ll enable medical professionals to diagnose and treat patients with greater accuracy, efficiency, and safety. This pandemic is proof there’s no time to lose.
Gary Shapiro is president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). He is also author of the new book, Ninja Future: Secrets to Success in the New World of Innovation.
