How Remote Healthcare Is Changing the Way We See the Doctor
When Maria’s rural clinic shut down during the pandemic, she thought her diabetes care would have to wait. Then her doctor called—with a plan to manage everything from her phone. Remote healthcare has been building for several decades, but it saw meaningful growth in the 2010’s. Apps like Teledoc, MDLIVE, and Amwell, coupled with the increase in smartphone use, meant that healthcare was becoming available without a visit to a crowded waiting room (full of sick people). Maria’s story is becoming more mainstream as remote healthcare becomes more accessible.
What is Remote Healthcare?
Remote healthcare refers to the delivery of medical services, consultations, monitoring, and patient education through digital communication technologies—allowing patients and healthcare providers to connect without being in the same physical location. You may hear people refer to it as telehealth or telemedicine. It can include everything from virtual doctor visits and mental health counseling to managing chronic conditions with wearable devices and providing health education through digital platforms.
Benefits of Remote Healthcare
Who has time to go to the doctor? As I alluded to above, who wants to sit in a room full of sick people to treat a minor injury? That’s just one reason to look to remote healthcare options. Remote healthcare also allows people in rural, underserved areas to access at least a basic level of care. As local clinics close, remote healthcare can deliver faster access than driving an hour to the nearest doctor. They don’t have the expense of driving in and finding parking.
Anyone who can’t take off work to see a doctor in a traditional setting may be able to schedule a telehealth visit for break or lunch times. That can help reduce the number of emergency room visits by people who can’t see a doctor during normal office hours. ER visits are expensive, and they should be used for emergencies, but ER personnel often find themselves treating minor or chronic issues.
When patients don’t have to arrange for care for kids and relatives, they are more likely to see to their own care. This can be especially important for managing chronic conditions, because a regular remote checkin can help both patients and healthcare professionals stay on top of concerns, preventing many complications.
A physician who practices telemedicine can get by with a much smaller office and staff. They experience fewer No-Shows, which means that the appointments they book are productive. They don’t need as much extensive cleaning or disposable supplies, and informational materials can be sent electronically rather than printed. Also, with remote healthcare, the physician has a better chance of seeing a patient in the early stages of a condition, when the possibilities for treating it are much better.
Challenges and Limitations
Of course, no technology is perfect, and remote healthcare has its limitations. Not everyone has the level of internet access that will facilitate the sort of image production and sharing remote healthcare often calls for, and that’s especially true in the remote areas that can most benefit from it.
There are also insurance and reimbursement issues, as the bureaucracy of billing tries to catch up with the speed at which technology tends to move. The industry may require a whole new set of codes for telemedicine, which isn’t of itself a bad thing, as long as the industry moves on it in reasonable time. But there may be security and privacy measures that technological medical consultations require that are less cumbersome in person. At this stage, these things should be ironed out, but they’re not.
Finally, we do have to face the reality that not every condition can be found or treated remotely. A doctor looking at a patient’s face in a laptop camera may miss something on the patient’s arm that he would have seen in his office, or other clues that hide from cameras. And, some treatments really need to be administered in a healthcare facility.
The Future of Remote Healthcare
As with most technological advances, remote healthcare in some forms is here to stay, and it won’t stay exactly as it is today. We can expect improvements in how we use it now, but we can also see certain expansions on the horizon.
Hybrid care models
The future of healthcare likely isn’t all-remote or all-in-person—it’s hybrid. Hybrid care blends virtual visits with traditional appointments, giving patients flexibility while ensuring hands-on care when needed. For example, a patient might have a virtual check-in every month and an in-person visit every quarter. A hybrid approach enhances efficiency, reduces unnecessary trips, and helps tailor care to each individual’s needs.
Increased Integration with Smart Home Devices and AI
Smart devices like connected blood pressure monitors, glucose meters, fitness trackers, and even smartwatches are becoming part of everyday life. They’re being used to feed real-time data to providers. Combined with AI tools, this data can flag concerning trends, personalize treatment plans, and even offer predictive health insights before symptoms appear. It’s a leap toward proactive, rather than reactive, care.
Policy and Infrastructure Changes to Support Growth
Widespread adoption of remote healthcare depends on solid infrastructure—like broadband Internet access in rural areas and clear policy frameworks that support licensing, reimbursement, and data privacy. Changes at the state and federal level are already underway to make telehealth services more permanent and accessible, but continued investment in technology and legal clarity will be essential for long-term success.
Your Turn
What about you – have you ever used remote healthcare? Are you excited or apprehensive about it? I don’t have any chronic conditions that require constant monitoring, so I can’t speak into that. I know that when I was recovering from a car accident and wasn’t very mobile, I was glad to have access to telehealth for a sinus infection. At the time, someone had to pick up the prescription for me, but that was a smaller hurdle to jump. Drop a comment below and tell me what you think about it (scroll down past the related posts section).
Curious to find more about remote healthcare? Check out these links.
Telehealth: Technology meets health care – Mayo Clinic
Telehealth: Definition, Pros, and Cons
What is telehealth? | American Medical Association
12 Remote Healthcare Jobs to Consider | The Muse
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