Table.

Potential Benefits and Logistical Challenges of Telehealth

Benefits	Challenges
Improved Access to Care -Allows patients with limited reliable transportation, mobility, or financial constraints or those living in rural and remote areas to circumvent major barriers in receiving care -Convenient -Does not require child care or absence from work	Payment Models -Temporary changes have been made for reimbursement rate for telehealth visits, creating payment parity; however, it is unclear when and what types of changes are yet to come. -Insurance coverage
Reduced Costs -Reduction in costs related to hospital admissions, travel costs, diagnostic procedures, and examination room and office space -Improve clinical workflow and practice efficiencies	Data Security and Privacy -Temporary relaxation of HIPAA guidelines for good faith provision of telehealth has been implemented; however, cumbersome EHR systems remain an impediment in patient data governance
Assessing Patients Within Their Home -Ability to remotely monitor and triage patients to avoid unplanned hospitalization or mortality -Ability to engage those involved in care at home (eg, spouse, partner, relative, or caregiver) with planning regarding monitoring and treatment	Potential Impact on Disparities -Socioeconomic disparities and language barriers, along with female gender and older age have inequitable access to medical care through telehealth -Broadband access as a “super-determinant” of health remains far from universal
Maintain Social Distancing -Large-scale conversion to telemedicine during COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates effectiveness for social distancing in both current and potential future pandemics	Potential Depersonalization -Concern about possible depersonalization of patient-clinician relationship and deterioration of interpersonal aspects of medicine
Higher Patient Satisfaction -Greater coordination, more personalized care, improved patient engagement, and improved efficiency increases both patient and clinician satisfaction. -Lowered costs: no costs for travel, parking, child care, or absence from work	Adoption of Digital Technologies -Challenge of obtaining accurate vital signs, performing cardiopulmonary auscultation, and other aspects of physical examination to guide care -Reliance on patient self-report (eg, symptoms or patient-reported outcomes) -Utilization of new digital technologies (eg, wearable or nonwearable biosensors in terms of data monitoring or clinically useful information) -Adoption and use of digital health technologies by patients and families

COVID-19 = coronavirus disease 2019; EHR= electronic health record; HIPAA = Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.