Hospitals Should Consider Clinical Use, Payment Parity When Investing in Telehealth Post-Pandemic

Hospitals face a number of challenges when it comes to deciding where to invest in telehealth services post-pandemic, according to Sanjula Jain, Ph.D., chief research officer at Trilliant Health.

Two areas hospitals should invest in or consider balancing is clinical utility with patient and provider preferences. Jain stressed the importance of distinguishing between cases where telehealth is effective and those where in-person care may be necessary.

"There are very few clinical use cases that really satisfy all those criteria and that kind of Venn diagram overlap," Jain said.

For example, within behavioral health, telehealth is well-suited for treating conditions such as anxiety and depression.

Related: Virtual Care's Role in Behavioral Health — Opportunities and Risks Highlighted Based on Recent Data

Physical exams are less critical and virtual visits may even enhance patient comfort. However, Jain cautioned that in other areas, such as primary care, the lack of physical exams or lab tests during virtual visits could compromise care quality.

Another area to look into is “payment parity.”

She shared that while telehealth might get reimbursed the same as in-person visits, the absence of extra services, such as lab tests during virtual appointments, can lower the overall payment for doctors.

Jain suggested thinking carefully about these issues before deciding to invest in telehealth.