Telehealth had become one of the most influential trends in 2021 as the ideal method for ensuring high-quality medical assistance without the need for in-person care. Talking about 2022, telemedicine is perceived to gain more significance as the healthcare industry is yet to recover from the overall impacts of covid-19. With the recent surge in covid-cases and emergence of the Omicron variant, staying home and avoiding exposure is still the norm.
The US has undoubtedly been a pioneer in the telemedicine sector. Moreover, the U.S. government is mulling over creating more off-site options in the upcoming years with the aim to curb the maintenance costs associated with well-established medical facilities and, in turn, the overall healthcare cost. So, as we move into 2022, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that telemedicine is here to stay.
Besides, the American healthcare system happens to be a value-powered care environment. Therefore, there is more emphasis on enhancing the quality of care, inequity in healthcare, and curtailing unwanted costs. All these aspects are supportive, and the nation is sure to witness higher integration of telehealth, incredibly remote patient monitoring, with physical care.
Yet, it is a fact that telemedicine or healthcare through virtual means is never a total replacement for conventional medical facilities. Moreover, virtual assistance may not be ideal for all health-related concerns. Therefore, more attempts towards integrating telemedicine into otherwise new health systems are likely in 2022 and the coming years. Besides the U.S., this is more of a universal trend.
Also, the American healthcare arena is uniquely fragmented and complex. Nowadays, many U.S. patients are without a physician for primary care, and, consequently, there is often a lack of a single source of a specific patient’s health information.
To conclude, it wouldn’t be possible to view the 2022 U.S. healthcare sector without telehealth being a critical component despite any shortcomings.