Compliance Today (July 2020)
Teladoc Health, a New York-based telemedicine company, reported a 60.8% year-over-year increase in US paid membership in the first quarter of 2020.[1] Although the surge is driven by COVID-19 and may taper off after the pandemic has subsided, the numbers show that people are willing to access medical help online and post-pandemic visits to portals such as Teladoc may maintain higher levels going forward.
“‘As our clients and consumers have turned to us during these unprecedented times, our proven ability to meet their needs has elevated our global leadership role and accelerated our impact on the healthcare system overall,’” Jason Gorevic, chief executive officer of Teladoc Health, said in a statement.
Telemedicine touches on several sensitive topics, including patient privacy, cybersecurity, and basic questions of quality. If Teladoc’s first-quarter results hold into the rest of the year and 2021, compliance concerns regarding a shift toward telemedicine will become a major issue for the industry.
1 Jack O’Brien, “Teladoc Health Visits Jump 92% in Q1, Revenue Tops $180M,” Health Leaders Media, April 29, 2020, https://bit.ly/2xycny5.
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