Virtual Healthcare Can Improve Population Health, the Healthcare System, and the Healthcare Market, But It’s Not a Panacea

Virtual delivery can potentially improve the health of millions of Americans in a myriad of ways. First, it can improve the management of chronic disease, a category of illness that over 129 million (and rising) Americans contend with (CDC, 2024). A scoping review of 26 studies concluded that telemedicine not only increases access to chronic disease care, but improve health outcomes, including lowering hemoglobin A1c in diabetics (Ezeamii et al., 2024). Furthermore, close follow-up is critical in managing chronic disease, and telemedicine has also been effective in decreasing no-show rates (Shao et al., 2024). When preventive care is not prioritized, patients tend to visit the emergency room for non-urgent complaints which overburdens hospitals around the country. Since virtual healthcare platforms that place emphasis on primary care have the potential to better engage patients in preventive health care and thereby reduce the burden on the ER (Alshurtan et al., 2024).

Another way that virtual care is re-shaping the US healthcare landscape is by allowing patients to overcome geographical barriers to access to specialist care. For instance, one-third of women of reproductive age live in states denying access to abortion (National Organization for Women, 2024). Virtual abortion care across state lines (shown to be safe and effective) presents a valuable resource for women whose states do not recognize their right to bodily autonomy (Upadhyay et al., 2024). Furthermore, millions of women live in reproductive care deserts and virtual maternal care services can deliver prenatal care to those in the highest need (Bridging the gaps with telehealth, n.d.). Another potential benefit of virtual healthcare delivery is that it can expand access to opioid maintenance therapy to patients across the country. In fact, buprenorphine treatment of opioid use disorder initiated in telehealth was shown in one study to improve treatment retention (Hammerslag et al., 2023).

Not only can virtual healthcare expand access and potentially improve health outcomes, but it may encourage greater price transparency. In a typical market, price influences demand, but healthcare is more complicated as it is difficult to find and compare prices. There has been a trend towards more price transparency and patients are increasingly demanding clearer pricing (Ellis et al., 2020). One of the first things I noticed about virtual healthcare services was that they all advertised their costs upfront. This level of price transparency may push other types of providers to be more upfront about costs of care in order to stay competitive in the market, which would allow patients to better compare prices and be more informed consumers (Ellis et al., 2020).

Unfortunately, virtual healthcare may also exacerbate existing healthcare challenges. I am particularly concerned about data security and patient privacy. Research shows that most people worry about the privacy of their health data, more so when it is electronic (Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, 2019). Telehealth may exacerbate these concerns as the multiplicity of virtual healthcare platforms increases opportunity for data breaches (Andreadis et al., 2024). Additionally, patients may have difficulty finding private devices and spaces to use these platforms.

Although virtual healthcare will not be a panacea for all of our system’s challenges and it may exacerbate issues, I believe that it will change our system for the better by improving population health and enabling patients to be more informed consumers.

Question: What are some policies that you think would help ensure that virtual healthcare delivery addresses present challenges in the US healthcare system?

References

National Organization for Women. (2024, November 4). Abortion access: Women fight back in a post-Dobbs nation. https://now.org/blog/abortion-access-women-fight-back-in-a-post-dobbs-nation/

Alshurtan, K., Almomtin, H., Alqhtani, K. F., Alqahtani, A., Aledaili, A., Alharbi, A., Alhejaili, M., Alreheili, S. H., & Aljassar, S. (2024). Breaking the emergency room cycle: The impact of telemedicine on emergency department utilization. Cureus, 16(3), e55457. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.55457

Andreadis, K., Muellers, K. A., Lin, J. J., Mkuu, R., Horowitz, C. R., Kaushal, R., & Ancker, J. S. (2024). Navigating privacy and security in telemedicine for primary care. The American Journal of Managed Care, 30(6 Spec), SP459–SP463. https://doi.org/10.37765/ajmc.2024.89553

Bridging the gaps with telehealth. (n.d.). Telehealth.hhs.gov. Retrieved December 6, 2024, from https://telehealth.hhs.gov/providers/best-practice-guides/telehealth-for-maternal-health-services/bridging-the-gaps-with-telehealth

Ellis, R. J., Yuce, T. K., Hewitt, D. B., Merkow, R. P., Kinnier, C. V., Johnson, J. K., & Bilimoria, K. Y. (2020). National evaluation of patient preferences in selecting hospitals and health care providers. Medical Care, 58(10), 867–873. https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0000000000001374

Ezeamii, V. C., Okobi, O. E., Wambai-Sani, H., Perera, G. S., Zaynieva, S., Okonkwo, C. C., Ohaiba, M. M., William-Enemali, P. C., Obodo, O. R., & Obiefuna, N. G. (2024). Revolutionizing healthcare: How telemedicine is improving patient outcomes and expanding access to care. Cureus, 16(7), e63881. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.63881

Hammerslag, L. R., Mack, A., Chandler, R. K., Fanucchi, L. C., Feaster, D. J., LaRochelle, M. R., Lofwall, M. R., Nau, M., Villani, J., Walsh, S. L., Westgate, P. M., Slavova, S., & Talbert, J. C. (2023). Telemedicine buprenorphine initiation and retention in opioid use disorder treatment for Medicaid enrollees. JAMA Network Open, 6(10), e2336914. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.36914

Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. (2019, June). Individuals’ Perceptions of the Privacy and Security of Medical Records and Health Information Exchange. Health IT. https://www.healthit.gov/data/quickstats/individuals-perceptions-privacy-and-security-medical-records-and-health-information

Shao, C. C., Katta, M. H., Smith, B. P., Jones, B. A., Gleason, L. T., Abbas, A., Wadhwani, N., Wallace, E. L., Mugavero, M. J., & Chu, D. I. (2024). Reducing no-show visits and disparities in access: The impact of telemedicine. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 1357633X241241357. https://doi.org/10.1177/1357633X241241357

Upadhyay, U. D., Koenig, L. R., Meckstroth, K., Ko, J., Valladares, E. S., & Biggs, M. A. (2024). Effectiveness and safety of telehealth medication abortion in the USA. Nature Medicine, 30(4), 1191–1198. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591... a 300-500-word response using references from peer-reviewed papers. Please title your posts with the gist of your idea and end your posts with a question.