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 …
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 »
I am privileged as a regular contributor to a local executive education course in healthcare innovation. I give these talks 4-5 times per year, and it has been fascinating over the last 18 months to see how the questions that come from audience members have changed. The individuals that participate in this course are all …
Artificial Intelligence: A Clinician’s Friend or Foe? Read More »
[vc_row][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]While thinking about my keynote address at the 2021 American Telemedicine Association (ATA) annual conference, I kept coming back to Daniel Kahneman’s Nobel-prize-winning theory (his book is called Thinking Fast and Slow). This theory formed the basis for the field we now know as behavioral economics. What Kahneman describes as heuristics (pattern recognition or …
Lessons Learned from 2020 Provide a Springboard for Increased Telehealth Adoption Read More »
[vc_row][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]According to the Consumer Technology Association, recent data shows that 59% of consumers use remote mental health services, 49% are using telehealth for physical health, and 37% are using health fitness apps – all increases compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic. We have seen how telehealth, as a channel for healthcare delivery, expanded dramatically …
The Need for a Gold Standard in Telehealth Education Read More »
[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]On New Year’s Day, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed into law a healthcare reform bill that is a metaphor for the state of telehealth as we put 2020 in the rearview mirror. Telehealth advocates have plenty to be pleased with in the final legislation (see the American Telemedicine Association’s press statement here). The law …