{"id":28816,"date":"2020-09-11T19:11:11","date_gmt":"2020-09-11T19:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.mtelehealth.com\/?p=28816"},"modified":"2020-09-11T19:11:11","modified_gmt":"2020-09-11T19:11:11","slug":"telehealth-and-clinical-decision-support-ideal-synergy-for-patient-clinician-engagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drmiltie.com\/at-home-testing\/telehealth-and-clinical-decision-support-ideal-synergy-for-patient-clinician-engagement\/","title":{"rendered":"Telehealth and clinical decision support: ideal synergy for patient- clinician engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Pairing telehealth and clinical decision support could be a true game-changer, enabling patients and clinicians to make decisions together along the care continuum of complex diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

September 10, 202009:00 AM<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the months and years to come, as we reflect on all that has changed in our lives due to the pandemic, patient engagement and telehealth will be among top subjects for healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Multi-year studies published between 2017 and 2019 showed that telehealth, while definitely a welcomed concept for home-bound or time-constrained patients, clinicians managing chronic diseases, and\/or payers and providers looking to mitigate population health incentives, was still very much in its infancy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prior to the pandemic, an analysis of claims data showed that only about 2.4% of enrollees in large employer health plans had used a telehealth service.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A report published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on July 28, 2020, indicates that in April 2020, 43.5% (average across both rural and urban areas) of Medicare primary care visits were provided via telehealth as compared to 0.1% in February 2020.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In-person, patient-clinician engagement for the management of complex diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and oncology drastically declined starting the end of March 2020. Cardiology in-person visits reached lows of 10% in April, and as of August 7, 2020, have only rebounded to about 48%.4 <\/sup> However, oncology in-person visits sustained the greatest decrease, hitting as low as 2% and only rebounding to about 15% of as of August 7, 2020.4<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While reimbursement for telehealth services has facilitated adoption especially in primary care settings, a chasm prevails when we look at the use of telehealth services in complex specialties, such as cardiology and oncology.  And the answer to bridging this chasm may be clinical decision support solutions (CDSS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s patients and their families and\/or caregivers want more than just treatment for the disease. They want their clinicians to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n