Axios
Virtual doctor’s visits and digital health tools take off in pandemic
Telemedicine and other health-related technologies have gotten huge boosts over the past year as COVID-19 upended how patients receive medical attention.Why it matters: Virtual doctor’s appointments and therapy sessions will likely be the norm, even after more people are vaccinated. Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeThe big picture: “Telehealth” and “e-health” tools have been available for over a decade, but patients and doctors alike were reluctant to give up in-person appointments.That all changed when doctors offices and hospitals were forced to adapt to new technologies quickly to keep seeing patients amid COVID-19 lockdowns.By the numbers: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center CEO Michael Fisher said the hospital system went from 2,000 telehealth visits in all of 2019 to more than 5,000 a week in July 2020, per an interview with McKinsey. Telehealth, Fisher said, could make up 30% of all healthcare visits in the future. The number of telehealth medical claims increased 3,060% (or 31-fold) nationally from October 2019 to October 2020, according to FAIR Health’s regional tracker. “In Japan, fewer than 1,000 institutions offered remote care in 2018. By July 2020, more than 16,000 did,” McKinsey notes.It’s been a boon for the tech companies that make the virtual doctor’s visits possible.Google-backed AmWell, a digital service…
