However, we are also embracing telehealth in the hospital setting too by implementing telecritical care, telesitting, virtual caregiver support and expanding options for specialty video visits. Most people equate telehealth with outpatient services delivered outside of a traditional care setting. For example, we are working to expand our home-based remote cardiac rehab program nationally and have begun enrolling pregnant patients in hybrid maternity care programs that include some video-based appointments and self-monitoring to track metrics such as blood pressure, weight and fetal heart rate. Remote patient monitoring is one area that shows tremendous promise for implementation in a range of areas. With this in mind, we anticipate the continued growth and refinement of hybrid models of care that increase care delivery options to respond to member expectations and preferences. Q: Where do you see telehealth going in the future?ĮL: Patients increasingly want and expect telehealth options, but also - now that the most acute phase of the pandemic has passed - want to know they have the option to see our clinicians in person as desired. Kaiser Permanente has been uniquely well-positioned to embrace these hybrid models of care because of our integrated model and EHR that captures all patient care interactions across care delivery modalities. This has spurred the creation of hybrid or fluid models of care, in which patients and care teams can work together to determine which modality of care (in-person, video, phone, or other) best meets the clinical need and patient preference. As care facilities reopened, patients have continued to embrace telehealth as an integral part of their care experience but not a replacement for in-person care in every setting. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the use of telehealth options and improved many patients' receptiveness to try them. Q: Do you expect telehealth's utilization to rise or fall in the future?ĮL: Our telehealth utilization rates have been largely stable since mid-2021. Throughout 2021, we continued to conduct nearly all (94 percent) of mental health visits by phone or video and have seen similarly high levels of telehealth utilization (around 90 percent of visits) thus far in 2022. In April 2019, 16 percent of mental health encounters were virtual, compared with 99 percent by April 2020.ĭemand for virtual mental health services has remained high across the healthcare industry. During the pandemic, we shifted nearly all our mental health services to telehealth to ensure our members continued to receive high-quality mental healthcare without risking exposure to COVID-19. One specialty that retains particularly high telehealth usage is our mental healthcare. That compares to an industrywide range of 13-17 percent of care being delivered via telehealth across all specialties - a level that has largely stabilized since the pandemic's onset.Ī significant amount of our specialty care has continued to be delivered via phone and video visits in 2022, including nearly 70 percent of visits with infectious disease specialists, and about 69 percent of visits with allergists and endocrinologists. Edward Lee: As of October 2022, 34 percent of Kaiser Permanente's ambulatory care visits are being conducted by a scheduled video or phone call. Question: What specialties does telehealth remain popular for as the pandemic has waned?ĭr.

Note: His responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity. Lee shared with Becker's how the health system is taking the lessons it learned from telehealth's skyrocketing use during the pandemic to shape its care now - and where he sees the technology going next. Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente is creating a 'hybrid' or 'fluid' model of healthcare, mixing video visits, remote monitoring and 'telesitting' - along with in-person treatment - to give patients care where and how they need it, said Edward Lee, MD, executive vice president of IT and CIO of the Permanente Federation.ĭr. Past Issues - Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control.Current Issue - Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control.Becker's Cardiology + Heart Surgery Podcast.Becker's Ambulatory Surgery Centers Podcast.Becker’s Digital Health + Health IT Podcast.Digital Innovation + Patient Experience and Marketing Virtual Event.Conference Reviewers: Request for More Information.The Future of Dentistry Roundtable October.29th Annual Meeting - The Business & Operations of ASCs.8th Annual Health IT + Digital Health + RCM Conference.20th Annual Spine, Orthopedic & Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference.Clinical Leadership & Infection Control.

Kaiser video visits