Trust: A firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something I still recall my nascent days as a telehealth advocate, stretching back to the early 1990s. I often heard that telehealth would be most appropriate for rural communities because “they couldn’t access an in-person doctor.” I chafed at this point …
In my last blog, I introduced the concept of evidence gathering and the different pace and varying mindset between innovators and early-stage companies and the scientific community, and some reasons why the rigor of quality evidence is preferred over common sense and real-world observation. I’ll summarize that here. Of course, you can read the long …
More Observations on the Need for Evidence to Support Digital Health Adoption Read More »
“If current evidence is only followed by clinicians 60% of the time, why is it so important that we have good evidence for our interventions?” This was a question posed to me by my friend Bleddyn Rees as we prepared for a talk I was recently invited to give at the Digital Health Society Summit …
Growth of the Evidence Base for Digital Health is Crucial for the Adoption Read More »
There has been much controversy in the lay press in the last six months or so regarding telehealth as a tool for addressing the behavioral health crisis. Much of the conversation has centered on whether a video consultation with a behavioral health provider is of sufficient quality to allow decision-making regarding prescribing psychiatric medications. There’s …
Five Ways Telehealth is Better Than In-Person Care Despite the hubbub around telehealth for the past 2+ years, I still hear providers (and some patients) talking about it in absolutes. Some unattributed quotes: “My patients prefer to see me in person.” “I can’t make a diagnosis without the physical exam.” “Can the doctor take good …
Five Ways Telehealth is Better Than In-Person Care Read More »
Every sailor knows of that dreaded spot where the wind dies, the sail goes slack, and the boat starts bobbing back and forth – the doldrums. As I reflect on the ups and downs of telehealth over the past two years, the analogy seems apt to me. In June of 2020, we were riding the …
Moving Telehealth Out of the Post-COVID Doldrums Read More »
Dealing with COVID-19 has been a true game of whack-a-mole for all healthcare stakeholders. Here in the U.S., so much of telehealth’s penetration into care delivery is dependent on the state of the public health emergency, during which flexibilities put in place by the Administration have enabled utilization through generous reimbursement. On March 15, President …
Planning for the Next Phase of Telehealth: Scenarios Read More »
[vc_row][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]In January 2020, I agreed to take on responsibilities as Editor-in-Chief for Nature’s digital medicine journal, npjDigital Medicine. With all of the on-the-job training, I have learned quickly how critical our associate editors and reviewers are and, thus, the high quality of the papers we publish. It is easy to view this enterprise with …
Lessons Learned on Data Integrity in the Fight Against Covid Read More »
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We have had one case of Covid-19 so far in Massachusetts, and there is one reported case in Rhode Island. I am ambivalent about the media coverage on this virus. On the one hand, it has undoubtedly helped with containment efforts. However, I do wish the media would use less sensational descriptors when reporting on …
Telehealth is a Critical Part of the Covid-19 Solution Read More »
In 2014, my coauthors and I were putting together the concepts and passages that became The Internet of Healthy Things, published in 2015. Chapter 1 of that book describes a lively digital coach/companion, called Sam, who follows me throughout the day and, based on data collected through the Internet of Things, offers me advice and steers me …
