HP Innovation Journal Issue 15: Summer 2020 | Page 30

Acceleration of Change
Health
In a 2019 J.D. Power survey, healthcare providers said
no more than 11% of their patients had been on a virtual
visit. At the time, they expected to see those numbers rise
to 15% to 25% in 2020.
While getting a complete picture of the uptake now
under way is difficult, the experience of several health
systems that have shifted consultations online blows
those old adoption estimates out of the water. At the
US epicenter of the pandemic in New York City, NYU
Langone went from performing no telehealth visits to
5,500 a day over the course of two weeks. Similarly, Tampa’s
Moffitt Cancer Center realized a 5,000% increase in
telehealth visits in the wake of COVID-19.
“I don’t think anyone was ready for this kind of
scaling,” says Dr. Joseph Kvedar, president-elect of the
American Telemedicine Association. “The beautiful
thing is that, overwhelmingly, it’s gone well.”
Remote healthcare’s moment
Like Geisler, many of those who complete their first
consultation out of necessity during lockdown are realizing
now how convenient it is. While Kvedar doesn’t
expect to maintain today’s inflated patient usage numbers—many
of the telemedicine visits happening are
stopgaps for in-office consultations, elective procedures,
and diagnostic tests—he says it could turn out
to be a defining moment.
As healthcare providers learn just how much they
can do with a teleconferencing app and a camera,
diagnosing and prescribing medication for relatively
minor issues like sinus pain and headaches, urinary
tract infections, rashes, and eye infections is a natural
fit. So is the talk therapy at the heart of many mental
health treatments. And providers can also help patients
manage their stable chronic conditions from afar.
Along with these benefits, doctors say telemedicine
could become far more common because of a convergence
of three things: mature core and supporting
technologies, the benefits of social distancing, and
pandemic-inspired regulatory changes.
First, technology developments over the years—from
broadband penetration to at-home blood pressure cuffs
and telehealth platforms—have improved connectivity,
diagnostic power, and remote monitoring. Video chatting
is now as common as phone calls and texting. And
patients no longer need high-end desktops or laptops
to take advantage of telehealth. They can connect with
their doctors with nothing more than the smartphones
in their pockets and a good cellular connection.
When a virtual visit with a patient takes place, the
doctor can go over the results of at-home diagnostics
coming from such devices as an electrocardiogram unit,
blood glucose monitor, or Wi-Fi–enabled thermometers
and blood pressure monitors.
From the provider’s side, new
technology like HP’s EliteOne
800 G5 Healthcare Edition Allin-One
PC is being purpose-built
for ease of use in telehealth consultations,
streamlining the
experience for physicians by
integrating live patient-videofeeds
with patients’ vital signs
and electronic medical records.
Then there’s the exploding
demand from patients who
need healthcare but also need to
stay home to avoid coronavirus
exposure, especially the elderly
and those with compromised
immune systems. HP PHIT Solutions
can further extend access
to care by helping doctors monitor
and connect to patients at
home. The software can digitally
send patients' vital data directly
INNOVATION/ SUMMER 2020
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