Forbes March 31, 2021
As Covid-19 wrought enormous disruption to the world in 2020, there was one potential silver lining in the US health system — the growth of telemedicine.
As the pandemic unfolded, the federal government loosened Medicare rules and agreed to reimburse physicians and providers for remote consultations that they previously required be done in person. Private insurers adopted similar policies.
Over time, patients and physicians who might have been initially skeptical of telemedicine often found that this practice model could address important health issues surprisingly well through video conferencing.
Of course, some health services require in-person examinations and treatments. Despite advances in online technology, no surgeon can remove an inflamed appendix remotely by Zoom.
But in many cases, in-person physician extenders...