Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, health systems were seeking a virtual means to increase ambulatory access for same day care. Many barriers prevented digital access from being a financially viable option for health system growth. Some of these barriers were in the form of inconsistent reimbursement from payors, slow patient adoption, and high cost of implementation. As a result, many health systems were left squinting to see a return on their ambulatory telehealth investments. The pandemic has crumbled several impediments to ambulatory Telemedicine.
The pandemic has increased telehealth adoption among patients. Weather the adoption has risen from a lack of open brick and mortar locations or patient fear of COIVD exposure within an office setting, it is clear that adoption in the outpatient setting has risen. Physicians are seeing the benefit of incorporating a digital component as a means of their care delivery model. Payors are consistently reimbursing for telehealth. Finally, the technology barrier to entry has fallen. Some health systems were utilizing Zoom or WebEx to rapidly initiate telehealth programs.
There are two specific areas within telemedicine that health systems should focusing on as they begin to scale their programs. Artificial intelligence and peripheral devices are two areas to that can enhance your telemedicine programs ‘ability to provide ambulatory access.
Artificial Intelligence creates the fast pass for established patients.
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