When most people hear "telehealth," they may picture a patient video chatting with a doctor from home about a mild condition. But at Novant Health, it also means a specialist instantly appearing at a patient's bedside via technology, making split-second decisions that save lives and prevent a potentially life-altering disability.
These telehealth experiences take place inside the hospital, creating instant access to specialists for patients across the Carolinas. In fact, 90% of stroke patients at Novant Health are now diagnosed by a neurologist visiting with the patient via this application of telehealth.
This level of access is especially crucial in rural communities, where neurologists aren't always immediately available. Virtual connections mean expert care arrives in minutes, not hours. Yet this life-saving capability faces the same threat as more routine telehealth services: the looming expiration of federal waivers at the end of 2024.
As an early adopter in virtual care's potential, Novant Health launched video visits in 2013, becoming just the second healthcare system nationally to implement this capability through Epic's electronic health record platform. But Medicare's strict regulations limited widespread adoption. In the seven years before 2020, Novant Health conducted just 2,400 video visits across its entire system.
Enter COVID-19. Emergency federal and state waivers swept aside long-standing barriers. Medicare patients gained improved access to care regardless of location. Payment parity between virtual and in-person visits became standard. Clinicians could offer a broader range of services through telehealth platforms, and patients embraced the technology.
What happened next was staggering. Novant Health recorded more than 330,000 virtual visits in three months during the second quarter of 2020 – an 899% increase. This unprecedented surge revealed vast unmet needs for accessible care.
The demand for telehealth services has continued past the pandemic. From emergency stroke care to routine follow-ups, virtual healthcare has become essential infrastructure.
Yet without Congressional action, Medicare could revert to pre-pandemic restrictions – effectively ending home-based virtual care access for many patients and threatening hospital-based telehealth programs that have transformed emergency care.
Health systems have invested heavily in telehealth infrastructure and staff training. Both clinicians and patients now rely on these capabilities. Allowing these waivers to expire would undo years of progress in healthcare delivery and put lives at risk.
Healthcare policy must keep pace with healthcare innovation. Congress faces a choice: preserve and strengthen the telehealth access that has proven invaluable - or allow arbitrary restrictions to once again limit virtual care. The evidence – from prevented strokes to improved rural access – overwhelmingly supports maintaining these flexibilities that have enhanced care delivery and improved patient outcomes.
