Opinion: Telemedicine is a tool – not a replacement for your doctor’s touch

Smartphone apps and connected devices are likely to see a significant growth as online and remote consultations with doctors during the Covid-19 pandemic become more routine. — Dreamstime/TNS

Earlier in the pandemic it was vital to see doctors over platforms like Zoom or FaceTime when in-person appointments posed risks of coronavirus exposure. Insurers were forced – often for the first time – to reimburse for all sorts of virtual medical visits and generally at the same price as in-person consultations.

By April 2020, one US study found, telemedicine visits already accounted for 13% of all medical claims compared with 0.15% a year earlier. And Covid-19 hadn’t seriously hit much of the country yet. By May, Johns Hopkins’ neurology department was conducting 95% of patient visits virtually compared with just 10 such visits weekly the year before, for example.