The use of telehealth rapidly increased during the spring as it gave patients a needed way to connect with their physician and reimbursement restrictions were lifted. During this time of a rapid increase in adoption, patients as consumers expect more from their digital tools and compare their experiences to offerings from other industries. Notably, as we head into fall, already the usage of telehealth offerings is declining as physician practices open back up and patients feel safer to return to in-person visits. 

What will keep patients and clinicians alike wanting to utilize telehealth as an important component to overall care delivery? For the patient/ consumer, they are looking for digital tools that make connecting with their care team easy and effective. Patients often seek out providers who utilize more technology options, but for those digital tools to add value, they need to create processes around patient engagement and a more personalized patient experience. Similarly, clinicians are looking for value-add as well. They need to be able to communicate with patients quickly and easily, monitor how their patients are doing and have patient generated health data come back to them in meaningful and actionable ways.

As the article above states, digital engagement is here to stay. The key is these telehealth platforms need to actually engage patients and clinicians and provide more value than just a secure virtual communication tool.

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