Telehealth remains vital despite challenges, says Providence exec
CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES — Despite a turbulent year for virtual care companies, telehealth remains a vital component of healthcare, according to Eve Cunningham, Chief of Virtual Care and Digital Health at healthcare system Providence.
Speaking at the Reuters Digital Health conference in San Diego, Cunningham emphasized that telehealth’s potential is far from exhausted.
Industry challenges and shifts
This year has seen significant setbacks for virtual care providers. Optum closed its virtual care unit in April, Walmart shut down its virtual care offering in May, and major players like Teladoc Health and Amwell have faced substantial layoffs.
However, Cunningham argues that these challenges do not signify the end of telehealth.
“There was a wave of companies that were basically telehealth-only standalones — or primary care plus telehealth standalones — that weren’t connected into an integrated care delivery system. That just doesn’t work,” Cunningham declared.
Integrating telehealth into healthcare systems
Cunningham highlighted the importance of embedding telehealth within the broader healthcare ecosystem. She noted that delivering virtual primary care alone is a difficult model to sustain profitably unless it operates as a concierge practice catering exclusively to cash-pay or commercial patients.
“But if you’re really trying to take care of the entire community — Medicare, Medicaid and all of the community’s diverse patient population — you have to look at the entire ecosystem of the integrated care delivery system in order to make it financially pencil out,” she explained.
The role of telehealth in patient care
When integrated with the overall healthcare system, telehealth can be a convenient and effective modality for patient care. Providence, for instance, conducts virtual visits with over 1.1 million patients annually.
Cunningham stressed that telehealth should be woven into the patient’s care journey, complementing in-person visits where necessary.
“Telehealth needs to be weaved into the episode of care,” Cunningham said.
She provided an example where a patient with pelvic pain might have an initial in-person visit and ultrasound, followed by a virtual consultation to discuss results, and then an in-person surgery if needed, with postoperative care potentially conducted virtually.
Cunningham added that while the standalone telehealth model has faced significant challenges, integrating telehealth into the broader healthcare delivery system remains a promising and necessary approach.
“Telehealth is not dead, but the way in which companies were trying to deliver it was problematic,” she remarked.
By embedding telehealth within the existing healthcare framework, providers can continue to offer effective and convenient care, ensuring telehealth’s place in the future of healthcare delivery.
