Health systems across the country rapidly stood up virtual care programs to monitor COVID-19 patients from home and it proved to be a crucial tool during the pandemic.
As the country begins to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, these virtual tools, including telehealth, remote monitoring technologies, and wearables, will become a way of life for patients and will likely replace some in-person care, health technology experts say.
“I think we have hit a turning point. Here at Stanford Medicine, we used to see 1,000 patients a week with telehealth and now we’re seeing 3,000 a day,” said Michael Snyder, professor and chair of genetics at Stanford School of Medicine during a webinar hosted by FierceHealthcare.
While the current health crisis has boosted the need for virtual care as most states have stay-at-home orders, it’s also been a proving ground for remote care as part of the healthcare system.