Juan J. Andino, MD, on the uncertainty surrounding telehealth coverage

In this video, Juan J. Andino, MD, MBA, considers the barriers that are preventing telehealth from reaching its full potential as Congress weighs the decision to extend telehealth flexibilities. Andino is an assistant professor of urology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Video Transcript:

I'd say one of the things that is on everyone's mind and is hindering ongoing investment in telehealth and the infrastructure needed for telehealth is just the fact that everything is in limbo. Because all the flexibilities from the pandemic have been extended, but nothing has been made permanent, health systems, clinics, at the organizational level, it's hard to fully commit and prepare for using telehealth, if in 2 weeks or a month, it all reverts, and you're not getting paid for or reimbursed appropriately for providing care in that in that sort of way. I think the fact that everything remains in limbo, we're waiting for Congress to act, and that nothing has been made permanent. For example, new patient visits prior to the pandemic could not be done through telehealth in most cases. There are some exceptions, the VA and other kinds of organized health systems, but in general, telehealth was reserved and paid for primarily by private insurances for patients who already had been established with a doctor, but they lived far so they were able to do follow-up. Without the ability to do new patient telehealth, by definition, it's really hard to impact access to care. It would be truly sad to lose out on that potential of telehealth if everything went back to pre-pandemic levels.

This transcript was AI generated and edited by human editors for clarity.