Telehealth Services Industry: Global Telehealth Services Becoming Popular Amidst Pandemic Situation
Development of Telehealth
Services Industry Around the Globe
Telehealth services have seen rapid growth in many countries over the past
decade as technology has advanced. A few countries have particularly led the
way in adopting and expanding telehealth programs.
In the United States, the Veterans Health Administration was an early adopter
of Telehealth
Services back in the
1990s and has continued expanding its virtual care offerings. Private insurers
have also increasingly covered telehealth visits in recent years. The pandemic
led to relaxation of rules preventing reimbursement for virtual visits, fueling
further growth. It's estimated over a third of all healthcare visits in the
U.S. will involve telehealth by 2025.
Countries in Europe have also invested heavily in national telehealth
platforms. For example, Sweden launched its National Telemedicine Strategy in
2010 to connect rural areas to specialists in cities. Over 90% of Swedish
municipalities now offer some form of telemedicine. Norway and Denmark have
followed similar models with a focus on virtual visits, remote monitoring, and
e-consultations between providers.
Asia has emerged as a global leader, with countries like Singapore and South
Korea employing telehealth at massive scale. In Singapore, a
government-sponsored initiative called SingHealth Anywhere connects residents
to healthcare 24/7 via video, phone, text and a mobile app. This has improved
access and reduced costs significantly.
Telehealth Services Industry Benefits
for Patients and Providers
The most evident benefit of telehealth is the improved access it provides
patients who live in remote areas far from hospitals and specialty clinics.
Conditions that traditionally required long-distance travel for care can now be
managed remotely through virtual technology. This saves time, money, and
removes transportation barriers that prevent some from receiving needed care.
For healthcare providers, telehealth opens up opportunities to treat more
patients efficiently. Clinicians can utilize their time more productively with
virtual visits that don't require in-person meetings. Specialists can conduct
consults, follow-ups, and post-acute care through telemedicine instead of
having patients travel long distances for brief check-ins. This improves
productivity and overall system capacity.
Telehealth also benefits providers through reduced costs. Many telehealth
platforms allow hospitals and clinics to centralize expensive resources like
MRI machines and specialists instead of duplicating these services at multiple
physical locations. The costs of real estate, maintenance and staffing
additional sites are avoided through virtual care delivery models. Over time,
this yields significant savings that can be reinvested in direct patient care.
How Telehealth Advanced During the
Pandemic
While telehealth growth was steady in the decade prior, the COVID-19 pandemic
provided a major tailwind that accelerated adoption worldwide at unprecedented
speed. As healthcare systems shifted resources to managing COVID caseloads and
exposed populations avoided facilities, virtual care became a lifeline for
non-urgent services.
All major restrictions on remote provider visits and digital care delivery were
lifted by governments seeking to expand access safely. Private insurers also
removed co-pays and other cost barriers to virtual visits out of necessity.
Providers scrambled to implement new telehealth technologies and train clinical
staff on virtual care workflows within a matter of months.
This forced rapid scaling has proven transformative. A survey in the UK found
50% of remote consultations during the pandemic were with patients who had
never tried telehealth before. In the U.S., telehealth visits skyrocketed from
an average 11,000 per week pre-pandemic to over 1 million weekly virtual
encounters after restrictions were lifted. This proved the viability and
versatility of remote care options at a massive scale.
Future Outlook and Growth Potential
As the pandemic hopefully recedes, many experts predict telehealth adoption
rates will remain elevated versus pre-COVID levels. Even as in-person access
returns, a substantial percentage of routine care will likely continue
transitioning to virtual visits over time. Estimates suggest 20-30% of total
healthcare interactions in major markets could involve telehealth on an ongoing
basis.
Areas primed for further telehealth penetration include chronic and post-acute
disease management, behavioral health counseling, nutrition consultations,
follow-up appointments and similar services where video or audio contact
provides sufficient clinical data. Remote monitoring technologies may also
expand for conditions like diabetes, cancer, heart disease and more.
The global telehealth market value is projected to reach nearly $200 billion by
2027 according to some analysts. Significant investments continue flowing into
virtual care platforms, remote diagnostics, connected devices and other digital
tools expanding the reach of quality healthcare worldwide. As technologies
advance, more complex specialties might also integrate telehealth strategies to
serve distant patient populations.
In Summary, the future looks bright for global telehealth services as virtual
care delivery finds a permanent place within modern, patient-centered
healthcare systems across the globe. The rapid scaling witnessed during the
pandemic proved telehealth’s ability to address access barriers and healthcare
demands when implemented at scale. Going forward, telehealth will play an integral
role in strengthening health networks, extending the reach of providers, and
achieving universal healthcare coverage goals for nations everywhere.
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Author:
Money
Singh is a seasoned
content writer with over four years of experience in the market research
sector. Her expertise spans various industries, including food and beverages,
biotechnology, chemical and materials, defense and aerospace, consumer goods,
etc. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/money-singh-590844163)
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