Telemedicine Lessons Learned During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Prior to the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, access and utilization of telemedicine in the USA was negligeable, with very little interest from both the public and healthcare sectors. Since that time, telemedicine technology and services have undergone explosive growth and investment and are poised to change the way healthcare is delivered now and in the future. But has telemedicine truly changed the way healthcare is delivered or is it merely a temporary fix for a temporary pandemic?

This global public health emergency has exposed vulnerabilities in our healthcare system and telemedicine has proven to be an effective tool to help increase access to care and improve affordability for patients across all racial, economic, geographic, and technological demographics. Looking back on the last 20 months or so since the pandemic started, this review attempts to summarize what has gone well and what has not in the telehealth space and concludes that while far from perfect, telemedicine is here to stay.