| | SEPTEMBER - 20238UTLOOKHealthcare Tech Telehealth is a Powerful Tool for Achieving Health EquityBy Gerard Frunzi, Director of Virtual Care, Centura HealthThe largest opportunity for the healthcare industry is leveraging telehealth to address inequitable access to healthcare. The CDC defines "Health equity as the state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health." This article highlights the opportunities to promote health equity and address disparities in healthcare delivery. Organizations led by forward-thinking providers and leaders are how we address healthcare equity in the U.S. Telemedicine has been around for well over half a century. The term was coined in the 1970s, yet there are documented telemedicine cases even back to 1959 at the University of Nebraska. The Corona Virus pandemic thrust telemedicine into most patients' lives, making it a household name as the best way to see caregivers in early 2020. Since then, the industry has settled on its new normal with patient and provider expectations around healthcare from a distance. Telehealth can do many things when it comes to addressing health equity. When evaluating factors for social determinants of health, telehealth can help with some and is limited by others. It bridges socioeconomic gaps, overcomes geographic barriers, expands access to underserved communities and individuals with disabilities, addresses language and cultural barriers, and is customizable to provide most types of care over video conferencing. Telehealth is limited by internet broadband ability and the cost of the technology at the patient site. These tenants of addressing health equity should be top of mind during the development of any new service offering.Not everyone has a smartphone or home internet. Around 19 million Americans lack broadband access at their home. Telephonic care is Gerard FrunziIN MY OPINION
< Page 7 | Page 9 >