According to the American Medical Association, “the pandemic has proven telehealth is a critical part of effective, efficient, and equitable health care.”

Since the outset of the SARS-Coronavirus 2 pandemic, private healthcare and government moved in concert to make remote access to medical care easier via technology.  SCI helped doctors utilize SusqueFLEX business phone solutions to integrate telehealth options for their patients.  In a modern, digital sense, the days of doctors making house calls are back.

While we transition from pandemic to endemic, the government is weighing the merits and which aspects of telehealth should remain in place and how virtual medicine can comply with current laws and regulations.  By all accounts, most of these modern conveniences are here to stay.

The Harvard Medical School conducted a survey concluding: “Almost three-quarters of Americans surveyed said the pandemic has made them more eager to try virtual care. And one in four Americans over age 50 said they’d had a virtual health care visit during the first three months of the pandemic, up from just four percent of older adults who’d had a remote visit the previous year.” Furthermore, a University of Michigan study found a full third of US residents have used some form of telemedicine over the past year.  Before the pandemic, less than four percent fell in the same category.

Some of these regulations may soon become law.  The bipartisan “Telehealth Modernization Act” could expand telehealth coverage permanently.  Several major US employers have already made telehealth part of their medical coverage plans.  Amazon is selling “unlimited, virtual, on-demand doctors visits to other companies” as an employee benefit. (C.B.R., 2021)

Obviously, nothing can replace an in-person health evaluation, but when and where sensible, telehealth could be the salvation for many doctors and patients.  If you are a doctor or medical professional who would like to see how SCI’s SusqueFLEX business phone solutions could help implement secure and HIPAA compliant telehealth for your practice, please contact us today.