The COVID-19 pandemic made switching to telehealth and virtual care, as well as other technology, priorities for healthcare organizations, but it remains to be seen if such changes will stay for the long term, reports Fierce Healthcare.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit earlier this year, health system executives had to shift their priorities to fast-track innovations such as virtual care services and artificial intelligence tools.
About a quarter of healthcare executives (26%) said the shift to telehealth and virtual care was a top innovation priority at their organizations prior to the pandemic, according to a survey of 117 executives conducted at the beginning of the year by the Center for Connected Medicine (CCM).
That has now jumped to 49% of executives who say virtual care is a top innovation priority, according to CCM’s follow-up survey from this summer.
But post-pandemic regulation and payment remain obstacles. It’s not clear whether government and private payers will maintain reimbursement after the pandemic subsides or whether reimbursements will return to prior levels.
Read more at Fierce Healthcare.
