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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About 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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