EP273: At What Level Will Telehealth Survive After the End of the Pandemic? With Jonathan Thierman, MD, PhD, From LifeBridge Health System

In this Episode 273, Part 1, Stacey Richter talks with Jonathan Thierman, MD, PhD, chief medical information officer at LifeBridge Health, about at what level telehealth will survive after the end of the pandemic.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

✅ What telehealth was doing pre-COVID, and how dramatically that changed once the pandemic hit

✅ What percentage of patients doctors are actually able to see well via telemedicine

✅ Why a window into a patient's home can offer a better view of their social determinants of health

✅ How AI is starting to play a role in telemedicine encounters right now

✅ Why improving access to care also tends to improve demand for care

WHY THIS MATTERS

Jonathan Thierman, an ER doctor and chief medical information officer who'd already been building out telehealth capabilities before COVID, offers a grounded take on what the technology can and can't replace. Most of medicine outside surgical services, he argues, is fundamentally a "mental game," which is why telehealth can work so well — and a virtual visit can even reveal social determinants of health a clinician might miss in an exam room. But Thierman is careful to note that improved access also means improved demand, raising real questions about whether more frequent telehealth touch points ultimately improve or complicate health care quality and cost.

=== LINKS ===

🔗 Show Notes with all mentioned links: Episode Page

🔗 Healthcare Industry Acronyms and Terms

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00:00 Introduction.

03:26 What was happening with telehealth pre-COVID-19.

04:50 What's happened to telehealth and primary care practices post-COVID-19.

06:28 How quickly telehealth medicine appointments are growing.

07:30 What percentage of patients are doctors able to see via telemedicine?

08:24 Are patients getting adequately cared for?

10:20 "The vast majority of medicine, except for surgical services, really is a mental game."

14:15 "If you have a window into the home, you probably have a better view of the social determinants of health."

14:25 How AI plays into telemedicine right now.

16:52 Where telehealth visits will land after the pandemic.

18:40 "When you improve access, you also improve demand."

19:22 Is telehealth consumer driven?

20:48 "For the most part, patients are most connected to their actual physician."

21:37 Why more frequent touch points via telehealth will benefit health care quality and costs in the future.

28:20 "It's about the patient, and it's about really keeping them well."