Having delivered a lifetime’s worth of remote care, I’ve seen the limits of telemedicine, and it’s ball pain.
In the era of social distancing, telemedicine has fully arrived. It promises to solve the ills of health care, both immediate needs during the present crisis and endemic faults beyond. Rural communities gain access to distant experts, waiting rooms disappear, you can remain sheltered-in-place, and almost everything is cheaper. Legacy HMOs and startups proudly trumpet how they give 24/7 access to a smiling person in a white coat through a smartphone. Amid the pandemic, insurers have dramatically changed payment regulations, making telemedicine financially workable.
WIRED OPINION
ABOUT
Dr. Robert Lurvey is a urologist in private practice in California. He has provided health care through telemedicine in government, private, and academic institutions.
I too once believed in telemedicine’s universal promise. I am a urologist, and years ago, I eagerly developed scripts, triage algorithms, and the right amount of inflection to
