Coronavirus Should Finally Smash the Barriers to Telemedicine
American physicians, insurers and regulators are pushing the rapid expansion of technologies once confined to optimistic press releases.
A thing of the past?
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, Bloomberg Opinion will be running a series of features by our columnists that consider the long-term consequences of the crisis. This column is part of a package on public health. For more, see Max Nisen on creating a faster vaccine, Faye Flam on a grim future for the medical profession and Joe Nocera on why federal disaster-management efforts have failed.
Under normal circumstances, internist Jenni Levy makes house calls, checking on patients with chronic conditions and serving as what she calls “rolling urgent care.” She works for Landmark Health, which offers supplemental home visits to people with Medicare Advantage plans and a high risk of hospitalization.