Telehealth has been around for a while, but COVID 19 really shined a spotlight on the importance and advantages of virtual healthcare. We saw leaps in the numbers of providers offering telehealth as well as an exponential increase in the diversity of health conditions that were evaluated and treated by primary care and specialty medicine alike. We also saw insurance companies compensate and even waive copayments (yay Medicare!). Due to the recent events highlighting racial disparities in all facets of life, I have been thinking a lot about my patients that have not been able to use telehealth, and the barriers to access. With the advances we’ve made in healthcare, we all need to strategize and implement creative solutions to help bridge the gap to ensure equal access to telehealth for our most vulnerable patients that are typically elderly, people of color, those with language barriers as well as our patients with low socioeconomic status.
Here are some barriers to the digital divide in healthcare:
Access to technology
Digital Literacy
Reliable and affordable Internet coverage
I think there are opportunities on different levels that could help bridge this gap, including the clinic/hospital system, local, state and federal levels. Some potential ideas for changes in your practice include:
Screening for patients at high risk of not being able to engage in video visits due to lack of smartphones/computer/data
Develop educational training programs for patients who have the access to technology but may not know how to use it
Ensure language interpreter access
We also need to explore and advocate for policies and changes on local, state and federal levels to:
Increase funding for telemedicine expansion in clinics that have less resources (ie FQHC programs)
Host computer/phone donation drives
Improve computer ownership in rural and low income communities
Create common spaces (after social distancing ends) with computers in churches/libraries/etc that allow privacy and usage of technology for health purposes
Support efforts to expand low cost and free basic internet access availability for rural and underserved populations
Advocate for pay parity for telehealth visits by all insurance providers (public and private)
I’m curious to see what strategies you think would be helpful to close the digital divide that would help reduce health disparities?
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