In just the past two months since the coronavirus began sweeping across the United States, telemedicine—oftentimes referred to by the more uplifting moniker of telehealth—has emerged as one of the most explosive sectors within the U.S. economy.
Widespread shelter-in-place orders have forced many consumers to forgo or delay most discretionary services (a haircut can wait, as well as a regular dental checkup and cleaning), but despite mounting evidence that some patients with critical needs are delaying important health care decisions that require hospital visits, the general population’s need for non-elective health care services has not dissipated. To meet baseline demand, in addition to marshaling additional resources for dealing with the onslaught of COVID-19 cases, physicians and hospital systems are increasingly turning to a network of technology-enabled digital telehealth solutions to bridge the gap.
Some of these solutions are as simple as providing a platform for doctors to conduct secure, virtual consultations with patients in the safe social-distancing environs of their own living rooms—something akin to a Zoom call with a physician. Other solutions are far more sophisticated, such as using artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver asynchronous content to dynamic platforms, which enables both physicians and patients to connect while saving time and money for both parties.