According to a McKinsey study, one year after the first COVID-19 spike, in February 2021, nearly 20 percent of all outpatient visits continued to be through telehealth. This is almost 38 times the claims that used to be made earlier. Data from FAIRhealth shows that 4.9 percent of all claim lines in the US continued to be through telemedicine in December 2021, after peaking at 13 percent in April 2020.

These were just 0.24 percent of national claim lines in Jan’20, before the first wave of COVID-19.

These statistics may have seemed far-fetched just two years ago to even the most ardent supporter of Telehealth before COVID-19 struck. But to anyone who has been sick or has needed care during the pandemic, none of this will come as a surprise.

Major drivers for this change have been consumer and provider willingness, and ease in the regulatory environment.


When in-person healthcare was completely out of bounds during the peak of COVID-19, telemedicine provided respite and much-needed help, and consumers showed a willingness to adapt that many people thought was not possible.


For example, Lyndi Church, medical executive and COO of Caring Hands healthcare center in rural Oklahoma remarked that despite poor internet connection in their area, most patients appreciated the services being provided through telemedicine. Consumer willingness took a huge leap during this time, and it has stayed positive even after COVID has started receding.

It wasn’t just physical health, but even mental health saw a shift towards the tele-medium, and according to Dr. Ashley Batastini, from the DoCEPR at the University of Memphis, it proved its worth by giving equally good outcomes.


Similarly, provider willingness played its part. With no means to physically meet patients, providers quickly adapted and learned the ways and techniques to make accurate assessments despite barriers and challenges.


But what began as compulsion has today turned into good practice. As Mary Zelazny, CEO of Finger Lakes Community Health put it “it’s all about managing the change, getting people to do the same things in a different way.”


As telehealth became more mainstream, the regulatory environment has also aligned to make things easier for both the consumer and the service provider. In March 2020, the Trump administration took the call to let Medicare and insurers provide reimbursement for telehealth services. Earlier, this was only possible for certain rare cases.


This regulatory change ushered in a complete reversal of attitudes towards telemedicine as a viable alternative for contact-based healthcare.
Come 2022, most states continue to keep those “temporary” policies in place, with no sign of turning back.


It is clear that telehealth is here to stay, but in what form will depend on how things evolve. Most healthcare experts believe that telehealth will become more and more integrated as part of an integrated and hybrid model of healthcare for the future, where both teleconsultation and in-clinic appointments will become part of the same treatment course.

The author, Sarah Walker, is an editor for Respectcaregivers,org.