Unleashing Technology to Maximize Telehealth's Potential

November 30, 2021

When it comes to medical care, giving patients access to more options is far better than limiting their choices. That’s why state-based, patient-centered telehealth reform is the future of healthcare reform, writes Goldwater Institute Director of Healthcare Policy Naomi Lopez in Unleash Technology: Maximize Telehealth’s Potential, the sixth chapter of Don’t Wait for Washington: How States Can Reform Healthcare Today, a new book put out by the Paragon Health Institute, which advocates for patient-centered reforms to America’s healthcare system. 

While some medical services need to be administered in person, many others—like speech therapy, treatment for minor ailments, and coaching and support for some chronic condition—can be conducted remotely. Patients deserve a choice, and they shouldn’t have to face regulatory barriers to more accessible and convenient options for timely care, writes Lopez, a Public Advisor to Paragon who has worked tirelessly on federal and state healthcare policy issues, including Right to Try, supply-side healthcare reforms, and 21st-century healthcare innovation. 

A good case study in what telehealth reform should look like and that can be replicated across the country can be seen in Arizona House Bill 2454, a first-in-the-nation telehealth law developed by the Goldwater Institute that allows people to get help from their healthcare providers directly on their smartphones, computers, and landline phones. Healthcare providers who are in good standing in other states should be empowered to provide safe, innovative solutions that help patients get the care they need, when they need, and in the most convenient manner, she adds. Ultimately, this bill—and telehealth reform in general—expands patients’ options and allows them to customize the medical care that works best for them.

You can read Lopez’s full chapter by clicking here.