Telemedicine in Orthopaedic Surgery: Challenges and Opportunities

Improvements in technology and a push toward value-based health care have poised the telemedicine industry for growth; however, despite the benefits of virtual care, widespread implementation had not occurred until the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Powerful barriers have hindered the widespr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of bone and joint surgery. American volume Vol. 102; no. 13; p. 1109
Main Authors Makhni, Melvin C, Riew, Grant J, Sumathipala, Marissa G
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.07.2020
Subjects
Betacoronavirus
Coronavirus Infections
Cost-Benefit Analysis
COVID-19
Delivery of Health Care - standards
Humans
Liability, Legal
Orthopedics - economics
Orthopedics - standards
Pandemics
Patient Satisfaction
Pneumonia, Viral
Risk Assessment
SARS-CoV-2
Telemedicine - economics
Telemedicine - standards
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Summary:Improvements in technology and a push toward value-based health care have poised the telemedicine industry for growth; however, despite the benefits of virtual care, widespread implementation had not occurred until the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Powerful barriers have hindered the widespread adoption of telemedicine, including lack of awareness, implementation costs, inefficiencies introduced, difficulty performing physical examinations, overall lack of perceived benefit of virtual care, negative financial implications, concern for medicolegal liability, and regulatory restrictions. Some of these challenges have been addressed with temporary state and federal mandates in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, continued investment in systems and technology as well as refinement of regulations around telemedicine are needed to sustain widespread adoption by patients and providers.
ISSN:1535-1386
DOI:10.2106/JBJS.20.00452