A Pandemic Benefit: The Expansion of Telemedicine [nytimes.com]

Even if no other good for health care emerges from the coronavirus crisis, one development — the incorporation of telemedicine into routine medical care — promises to be transformative. Using technology that already exists and devices that most people have in their homes, medical practice over the internet can result in faster diagnoses and treatments, increase the efficiency of care and reduce patient stress.

Without having to travel to a doctor’s office or clinic, patients can have many ailments “seen” on a computer, tablet or smartphone by a health care practitioner and have treatment prescribed as needed. For patients like me, who won’t return to medical offices that keep me waiting long past my scheduled appointment time, being able to “see” the doctor in my home most often at the prearranged time will be more than enough to encourage a telemedicine visit when feasible.

A televisit is like having a videoconference with one’s doctor, with technology improving health care even in ways no one has yet thought of, Dr. Angela Fusaro, founder of Physician 360, a telemedicine company, told me.