Will the Coronavirus Outbreak Push Telehealth to the Tipping Point?

Telehealth has the ability to bring healthcare to the patient rather than forcing the patient to go to a healthcare facility.

By Mary Kay O’Neill

Recent findings from Mercer’s National Survey of Health of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans show that while telehealth is a ubiquitous offering among employers, utilization rates remain low, growing slowly from 8% in 2018 to 9% in 2019. But officials at one telehealth provider, Teladoc, told analysts during a recent earnings call that they are working to prepare for an uptick in the use of their telehealth tech in response to the potential spread of the virus in the U.S.

Could this be telehealth’s tipping point? We think it’s an effective first step to managing the virus because it prevents both infected patients and people with other health issues that can be treated via telehealth from congregating in healthcare facilities where the virus could be contracted or passed on.

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For more information on Coronavirus and the implications for employers, please visit Mercer’s dedicated coronavirus page here.

Originally published at https://www.mercer.us on February 27, 2020.