Post-acute specific barriers, looming policy change threaten telehealth success story

Even on a relative downswing, telehealth remains an important part of routine and specialty care in post-acute settings, especially in regards to specialist care and rural access.
But what has become a critical resource for many providers could be made less relevant without critical policy changes and funding to improve barriers such as insufficient IT infrastructure and lack of staff support, researchers at Cornell Weill Medicine warned in a recent study.

They found that 73% of surveyed post-acute and long-term care clinicians respondents used telehealth for routine checkups, such as outpatient clinic or office visits, and at least 43% used it for specialty care.

Roughly a third of facilities used telehealth for urgent care.

Nate Schema, president and CEO of Good Samaritan, said his organization is continuing to invest in telehealth as a means of serving its roughly 10,000 residents and patients.

Schema told McKnight’s Long-Term Care News that “virtual care is here to stay” and improves access to care, supports better outcomes and reduces avoidable hospital visits. It also gives Good Sam teams more tools to deliver care to residents, especially those in rural or underserved areas.

Read more from McKnight’s Long-Term Care News