Demand for Virtual Visits Skyrockets During Pandemic: How to Get Your Organization Up to Speed

// By Jane Weber Brubaker //

As healthcare consumers nationwide are still being urged to stay home, the surge in demand for virtual visits has provider organizations nationwide scrambling to scale up telehealth capabilities if they have them — or stand them up if not. Ochsner Health in Louisiana reported an increase of nearly 1,000 percent in March for its “Anywhere Care” virtual visits program, and the trend continued in April.

What does it take to completely change the way you deliver care, practically overnight?

Two major changes have removed obstacles to widespread adoption of telehealth, at least temporarily, and made it an essential component of care delivery: (1) reimbursement parity and (2) waiver of some regulations (see HHS FAQs and CMS Fact Sheet).