therapist , or if they have issues with mobility . During the pandemic , the telehealth option also reduced potential infections or exposure if they could get support without leaving the house . But this benefit wasn ’ t universal .
“ What they discovered was maybe not everybody can take advantage of telehealth ,” Kwong says . “ Not everyone has access to the internet and broadband . Some can ’ t afford ( it ) or live in an area with no Wi-Fi . … What was encouraging was seeing policies and financial investments that the government put into broadband . It ’ s still not enough , but it ’ s a good start .”
Kwong also acknowledges this isn ’ t something the government can fix overnight . Infrastructure needs to be built , but in Sacramento , she highlighted the addition of hot spots in certain neighborhoods or on school buses for children to do schoolwork . These portable hot spots are a patch but not a long-term solution , she says .
“ Telehealth isn ’ t appropriate for every single situation ,” Kwong says , “ but it should be available when a person needs it and when it ’ s appropriate to use for that particular situation .”
A wrong approach
Sutter Health ’ s latest tool , developed by Wisconsin-based Epic , is for pregnant patients , fully integrated with the electronic health record , an extension of Sutter ’ s My Health Online platform , Chan says . The app checks in with users every week , tailoring pregnancies with timely advice .
“ I think that speaks to the power of integration ,” Chan says . “ Our goal is to say , ‘ Hey , in these most intimate times , we ’ re there for you and personalize care for you .’”
There are certain things the health system can ’ t do on its own . In these instances , Sutter Health collaborates with qualified partners . But it ’ s critical those partners have a solid grasp of the opportunities and barriers in health care , such as heightened patient privacy regulations and information security needs , Chan says .
A Physician Checkup
Telehealth flexibilities among top priorities for practices
Over the last two years , the California Medical Association has been conducting a COVID-19 Physician Financial Health Survey to assess the state of physician practices throughout the pandemic . In nearly every practice , COVID-19 burnout has contributed to physician and employee staffing issues . In April 2020 , the first survey found 95 percent of practices surveyed worried about their financial health due to the pandemic as practices saw revenue drop as much as 64 percent .
The most recent findings from the third survey show :
307 physician practices completed the survey
70 % of practices are still worried about their financial health ( down from 95 percent in April 2020 )
43 % of practices ranked telehealth flexibilities and payment parity as the most important resource needed
15 % increases in practice costs ( on average ), which continue to be higher due to additional financial strain caused by the pandemic
SOURCE : COVID-19 PHYSICIAN FINANCIAL HEALTH SURVEY 3.0
36 counties representing a broad range of specialties took part in the survey
63 % of practices still have not returned to pre-pandemic patient volume
21 % of visits are still being conducted with telehealth
1 in 3 physicians said they considered becoming employed by or being acquired by a health system , hospital or other entity
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