As the pandemic took hold in Oklahoma and restrictions on everything from restaurant dining rooms and schools were put in place, Oklahomans began seeing their doctors virtually instead of in exam rooms at a rate exponentially greater than last year.
According to the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, between March and June of 2019, 11,941 telehealth visits were conducted. In the same period in 2020, visits skyrocketed to 337,415.
"The number of telehealth visits has just exploded, and I don't think it's going to go back to the way it was, because a lot of people like it," said Dr. Jay Gregory, member of the Oklahoma State Department of Health's Hospital Advisory Council, on a virtual meeting of that body Thursday morning.
Sandra Harrison, who chairs the Telehealth Alliance of Oklahoma, said her group is focused on removing institutional barriers to telemedicine being available as a tool for providers and patients, including "payment parity."
"So, just trying to make sure that if physicians or hospitals are providing that remote care, that they're getting paid the same as face-to-face," Harrison said.
Still, doctors and officials in the meeting acknowledged limitations to the practice, and a risk inherent in overrelying on remote visits with patients.
"I'm not against telemedicine at all. I just think that if we keep promoting it broadly, then we need to look at overall health outcomes and the quality of care, because there are some things you just can not do looking through a computer screen," said council member Dr. Dale Bratzler of OU Medicine.
"Telemedicine, I think, is here to stay. That's not a question," Bratzler said. "We just need to keep track of the quality of care."
