ATA2022: Telehealth has the ability to rewrite care
BOSTON – Telehealth must move forward to become not just a substitute for in-person care and a single service, but a “logistical structure” of the healthcare system, according to Roy Schoenberg, president and CEO of Amwell, a telemedicine company based in Boston.
Schoenberg spoke with Ann Mond Johnson, CEO of the American Telemedicine Association, at the ATA2022 session, “Embracing Technology to Shift the Care Balance.”
Telehealth is a convenience for patients, but the majority use it for follow-up care, Schoenberg said. Telehealth must morph, he said.
“People are turning a corner,” Schoenberg said. “If healthcare can set up shop next to its end consumer, through technology, we can completely rewrite how we care for them.”
One area ripe for reinvention is care support for patients. For instance, for a patient with cancer, the effect on their life is more than showing up for or the effects of chemotherapy.