8 SEPTEMBER - 2023IN MY OPINIONAt the beginning of the COVID pandemic, hospitals and health systems around the country scrambled to implement or bolster their telehealth platform to continue providing care to their patients. Seemingly overnight, a significant number of non-emergent patient visits shifted from in-person to remote. This resulted in millions of virtual visits in the past 24 months and changed the way that patients and providers interacted with each other. Now that we entered a new phase of the pandemic, driven by vaccines and a better understanding of how to live with the virus, what is next for telehealth? Was it merely a tool to deliver care during the pandemic, or has it ushered in a new era of how patients interact with their providers?I believe that telehealth will continue to be a vital solution to deliver care, but I also see the potential for telehealth to continue to grow and expand. Therefore, I want to focus on two areas that will continue to benefit from telehealth and see increased growth now and in the future.Behavioral healthThere is a significant shortage of trained mental health professionals in the United States. Over half of the counties in the United States do not have a psychiatrist, and the ones that do often do not have enough to keep up with the demand. Telehealth can help bridge this gap by connecting patients with mental health experts across the country. According to a recent study by the Department of Health and Human Services, behavioral health accounted for nearly one-third of all telehealth visits in 2020. It also saw a 32-fold increase in the total number of visits throughout the first year of the pandemic. AmWell published survey data showing that 62percent of patients prefer virtual telehealth instead of in-person visits. While convenience certainly plays a role in this, data shows that most people prefer to discuss behavioral health issues from the privacy and comfort of their own homes. This trend is being seen across all age groups, evidenced What Is Next for Telehealth?By Michael Saad, Senior Vice President & Chief Information Officer, The University of Tennessee Medical Center
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