It’s no secret that many individuals at high risk of complications from COVID-19 have recently chosen to put off routine health care needs due to concerns of catching the virus in a hospital or clinic. In fact, a recent poll by the American College of Emergency Physicians revealed 80 percent of Americans were concerned about getting the coronavirus from visiting the emergency room. This concern became all the more palpable when hospitals themselves suspending elective surgeries early on in the coronavirus outbreak to ward off any potential issues of exceeding hospital capacity.
As time has passed, it has become clear to Oregon health officials and health care providers that it is indeed safe for patients to seek non-emergency and elective care again—especially given a number of new protocols put in place to provide additional protection for patients. This has been the case for a number of months now.
While hospitals are indeed safe, open, and ready to care for you, another incredible option available to patients in Oregon that has become increasingly popular since the COVID-19 outbreak is telehealth care.
Telehealth is a well-established means of increasing access to care and health education for underserved and rural communities, and its capabilities have greatly expanded with recent technological advancements. Over the past decade, telehealth has continued to grow as more services and policies were being implemented on the state and federal level. However, progress at times was moderate and piecemeal given the complex web of regulatory bodies that have influence over telehealth – Medicare, Medicaid, licensing boards, credentialing bodies, etc. However, the COVID-19 public health emergency has resulted in a swift and substantial expansion of telehealth due to the removal of policy barriers to telehealth utilization in order to address the pandemic on a temporary basis, along with increased interest and need by patients in accessing care via telehealth.
Given the rapid, yet temporary expansion of telehealth during the COVID-19 emergency, there is significant opportunity to allow many of the regulatory flexibilities provided by the state and federal government to be made permanent. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare, Congress, and the Oregon Legislature have all express strong interest in ensuring that this occurs.
"I think the genie's out of the bottle on this one,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “I think it's fair to say that the advent of telehealth has been just completely accelerated, that it’s taken this crisis to push us to a new frontier, but there's absolutely no going back.”
If you or someone you know would like more information on how to utilize telehealth services through your health plan, find more information here.
Lastly, if you are experiencing a health crisis, please seek medical care immediately. Please don’t put your health at risk in other ways by trying to avoid COVID exposure at a hospital or health clinic. Oregon hospitals are safe and ready to care for you.
Katie Harris, MPH
OAHHS Director of Rural Health & Federal Policy