Adoption of telemedicine solutions has been an extant trend in medical practices, a trend that Covid-19 has greatly accelerated. Practices have rapidly shifted their digital health innovation priorities from business-efficiency and operations to telemedicine solution and virtual care.
According to the Physicians Foundation’s 2020 Survey of America’s Physicians there has been a 15 times increase in the number of physicians seeing patients primarily through telemedicine now than it was just two years ago.
Data from reliable sources reveal that hospitals were increasingly using telehealth and numbers of independent practice owners were declining over the years (see infographic) even before the pandemic hit. Is there any correlation between these two data points?
On one hand, the pandemic forced providers to integrate digital into their existing practice, bringing a fundamental shift in how care is delivered in the U.S.
On the other hand, 8 percent of physicians (approx. 16,000) have closed their practices as a result of Covid-19. And 4% of physicians (approx. 8000) plan to close their practices in the next 12 months.
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the one most adaptable to change.” — Charles Darwin
Are the independent practice owners or solo practitioners reluctant to adapt? Or is it just that the incumbent telemedicine solutions are designed keeping in mind the needs of hospitals and large medical networks and not solo practitioners?
Wouldn’t it be great to have an innovative telemedicine solution for small practices that can address the issues of solo practitioners? A telemedicine solution to empower any provider to deliver care anywhere.
Check out this infographic to find out how a telemedicine solution designed for small practices can help solve the looming physician shortage.
