Is virtual care the new normal? Evidence supporting Covid-19’s durable transformation on healthcare delivery

Abstract

ABSTRACTObjectiveDespite the surge of telemedicine use during the early stages of the coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, research has not evaluated the extent to which the growth of telemedicine has been sustained during recurring pandemic waves. This study provides data on the long-term durability of video-based telemedicine visits and their impact on urgent and non-urgent healthcare delivery from one large health system in New York City.Materials and MethodsElectronic health record (EHR) data of patients between January 1st, 2020 and November 30th, 2021 were used to conduct the analyses and longitudinal comparisons of telemedicine or in-person visit volumes. Patients’ diagnosis data were used to differentiate COVID-19 suspected visits from non-COVID-19 ones while comparing the visit types.ResultsWhile COVID-19 prompted an increase in telemedicine visits and a simultaneous decline in in-person clinic visits, telemedicine use has stabilized since then for both COVID-19 and non-COVID suspected visits. For COVID-19 suspected visits, utilization of virtual urgent care facilities is higher than the trend. The data further suggests that virtual healthcare delivery supplements, rather than replaces, in-person care.DiscussionThe COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the use of telemedicine as a means of healthcare delivery, and the data presented here suggests that this is an enduring transformation.ConclusionTelemedicine use increased with the surge of infection cases during the pandemic, but evidence suggests that it will persist after the pandemic, especially for younger patients, for both urgent and non-urgent care. These findings have implications for the healthcare delivery system, insurers and policymakers.