Telehealth for cardiovascular disease patients: 3 key benefits and 5 ongoing challenges
Telehealth provides significant value as a treatment option for patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA). However, the statement also emphasizes that using telehealth in this way is still associated with a number of challenges.
“Telehealth is transforming the way healthcare is delivered by improving convenience and availability,” lead author Edwin A. Takahashi, MD, an assistant professor of radiology in the division of interventional radiology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, said in a prepared statement from the AHA. “However, we learned during the pandemic when we were forced to limit in-person care that there are limitations to using telehealth.”
One example of successful telehealth highlighted by the AHA is the way first responders can receive specific instructions and recommendations from stroke experts who aren’t physically on the scene with the patient. Another example is communication through various online portals, which helps healthcare providers and patients connect with one another without traveling to the same location.
The full scientific statement, published in Circulation, provides a thorough overview of how physicians can use telehealth to communicate with and manage CVD patients. It also highlights the benefits and challenges associated with this practice.
Key benefits associated with using telehealth to manage CVD patients
1. Telehealth reduces healthcare costs.
2. Telehealth improves patient access to care, especially in more rural and underserved areas.
3. Telehealth boosts the overall quality of care and patient satisfaction
Ongoing challenges associated with using telehealth to manage CVD patients
1. Healthcare providers may not like it, especially if they are older or not familiar with the required technology.
2. Reimbursement rates and licensee policies can be inconsistent from one hospital to the next.
3. The logistical side of telehealth may provide new scheduling and workflow challenges that have not yet been properly solved.
4. Healthcare providers may lack a way to analyze data captured by remotely monitored devices.
5. Telehealth platforms have been linked to potential privacy and security concerns.
Potential solutions to issues in telemedicine—and a look to the future
The scientific statement also shared potential solutions to some of the problems currently impacting the use and acceptance of telehealth. For example, public policy changes are needed to improve internet access throughout the United States. The statement’s authors recommended a formal appraisal of current policies and what can be done to help more U.S. adults gain internet access.
Reimbursement policies also need to be more consistent across the country, the group wrote, and health systems need a better way to evaluate and track the quality of their telehealth services.
“Telehealth will play an important role in the future of cardiovascular care because the evolution of technology will enable new remote care opportunities to improve medical accessibility,” Takahashi added in the same AHA statement. “Hopefully, this will have a strong benefit for patients from historically excluded and rural communities who often face health care disparities and are most at risk for cardiovascular diseases.”
The full scientific statement is available here. Additional information on the AHA’s telehealth efforts is available here.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.