Telehealth Declines as AI and In-Person Visits Rise Post-Pandemic

During the pandemic, telehealth services were hailed as heroes. Now, with the return to normalcy, their role appears to be diminishing. On July 2, Oregon Health & Science University cut its telehealth nursing unit, which had been set up in March 2020 to serve people across the state.

Changing Landscape in Healthcare

This shift reflects broader changes in healthcare as telehealth usage declines and AI and in-person visits gain prominence. Robin Glass, president of Included Health, noted, “We’re observing the shriveling of telehealth 1.0. This model, based on transactional interactions between patients and clinicians without holistic care, is nearing its end. It hasn’t met patients' needs or delivered value for healthcare dollars.”

Decline in Telehealth Services

The trend is evident across the industry. Amazon has merged its pay-per-visit telehealth service with its One Medical program, rebranding it as Amazon One Medical Pay-per-visit. Neil Lindsay, Amazon Health Services’ senior vice president, indicated that “impersonal care” made it challenging to make the service profitable. Similarly, Walmart shuttered its telehealth venture on April 30, later selling the division to healthcare technology startup Fabric.

Innovations in Telehealth

Despite the decline, companies like Fabric are pushing forward with innovative solutions. Fabric's platform automates clinical and administrative tasks, enhancing both in-person and virtual patient visits. Their AI-powered system triages and routes patients to the appropriate care point, streamlining treatment across various workflows.

One notable innovation is the introduction of holograms in telehealth. Crescent Regional Hospital near Dallas has implemented the “Holobox,” a 3D system projecting a life-sized hologram of a doctor for real-time consultations. Developed by Holoconnects, the Holobox enhances patient engagement and provides real-time access to specialists, revolutionizing patient-doctor interactions.

The Future of Telehealth

As telehealth evolves, AI and technologies like the Holobox are set to play a crucial role. These innovations offer a hybrid approach, combining virtual and in-person care to provide more comprehensive and efficient healthcare services.

Conclusion

The post-pandemic healthcare landscape is shifting, with telehealth services declining and AI and in-person visits rising. Innovations like Fabric's AI-powered platform and the Holobox hologram system represent the future of telehealth, promising to enhance patient care and operational efficiency.