Telehealth use by patient and provider has skyrocketed since coronavirus began spreading across the U.S.

Dr. Joe Kvedar, president-elect of the American Telemedicine Association, said that the new challenge will be to integrate in-person care back into the reshaped clinical workflows.

Kvedar said there is a bit of chaos right now as we are doing everything by telehealth, but not everything should be that way. The challenge is how to optimize? There are many ways to communicate with people and each one has its own value depending on the situation and patient’s relationship with their provider.

Prior to the crisis providers wanted every problem to be addressed in the office and now it is virtual. But we need to knit these two care models together.

Kvedar urges clinicians to observe how much of their work needs physical contact. Technological advances can further improve at-home care thus, making this decision easier.

Home lab testing is getting familiar and everyone has a pulse oximeter. There is a software to predict by the sound of your cough if you suffer from pneumonia.

Still, clinicians feel comfortable to ask patients to seek in-office care. So, Kvedar proposes that providers need to create integrated care plans by using both models.

Telehealth sustainability needs policy and logistical changes said Kvedar. He noted that the actions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to reimburse providers for service, permit telehealth care between states, and relax HIPAA regulations for technology use, as important decisions to encourage telehealth.

The ATA is encouraging lasting policy initiatives such as Medicare payouts for non-rural patients and strengthening interstate licensure options.

He said during the crisis many states created ways for out-of-state providers to get a license in that state. For example, a New Hampshire provider can offer telehealth care to a patient based in Massachusetts. But the ATA doesn’t advocate for national licensure. It is necessary to have regional compacts for doctors to practice over state lines.