Telehealth Expansion During the Covid-19 Pandemic: What’s the Path Forward for Telehealth?

The rapid spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 across the globe has turned the world on its head. Every sector of the economy is experiencing some form of distress, especially the healthcare industry. This is due, in part, to the often in-person and face-to-face contact involved in healthcare services delivery.

In response to the pandemic, the relaxation of certain federal health regulatory requirements (such as privacy laws and Medicare/Medicaid billing rules) was necessary to allow physicians and other providers to utilize telecommunications and digital health products to consult, diagnose, treat, monitor and follow up with patients from a remote location – known as “telehealth” or “telemedicine” services.