A Brief History

Telehealth is not new.  Since its earliest applications, it has served as a critical tool for overcoming barriers of time, distance and provider shortages, particularly in rural America.  For decades, adoption grew slowly but steadily, spreading well beyond rural communities as more organizations recognized its value.

That trajectory changed dramatically during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, which accelerated telehealth adoption at an unprecedented pace.  Flexibilities, necessity and innovation combined to shift the landscape - and what emerged was a long overdue recognition that telehealth is a core component of modern health care.

Landscape Change for Telehealth (status quo disrupted, temporary policy changes moving toward permanency, investments in broadband and exacerbations of workforce shortages and clinician burnout)

What We've Learned

Through this rapid revolution, health care professionals have learned (and continue to learn) that:

  • Telehealth technologies are simply tools - extensions of a clinician's expertise, not replacements for it.
  • Telehealth is more than an alternative to in-person care. Digital tools enable care models that extend far beyond the four walls of the traditional office, opening new and often better pathways for prevention, monitoring, treatment, education and follow-up.
  • Telehealth is becoming fully integrated across the care continuum.  We are quickly moving toward a future where "health care" and "telehealth" are indistinguishable - where care is delivered through a seamless blend of physical and digital interactions.

Current & Future Opportunities

While the core benefits of telehealth - convenience, access, flexibility, efficiency - remain unchanged, the opportunities have expanded significantly.

Opportunities for Telehealth

Emerging technologies and innovative care models continue to unlock what is possible, enabling telehealth to:

  • Improve access for underserved and rural communities
  • Support chronic disease management and preventive care
  • Enhance behavioral health access
  • Strengthen school health, home health and community-based services
  • Extend specialty expertise through remove monitoring, eConsults and virtual collaboration
  • Improve continuity of care and reduce unnecessary hospital utilization
  • Create new ways of engaging patients where they live, learn, work, play and worship.

Telehealth is no longer a niche solution - it is a foundational element of a more connected, patient-centered and resilient health care system!