Health
The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Future of Telemedicine
The use of telemedicine was quite limited in most OECD countries before the COVID-19
pandemic, held back by regulatory barriers and hesitancy from patients and providers.
In early 2020, as COVID-19 massively disrupted in-person care, governments moved quickly
to promote the use of telemedicine. The number of teleconsultations skyrocketed, playing
a vital role in maintaining access to care, but only partly offsetting reductions
in in-person care. This report provides an overview of the use of telemedicine in
OECD countries, describing how governments scaled up remote care during the pandemic
and exploring the impact that this massive shift to remote care has had on health
care system performance. Telemedicine may be here to stay, but questions remain concerning
how to regulate its use, how to pay for it, how to integrate it with in-person care,
and how to make sure that it constitutes good value for money for all. This report
puts forth priorities for policy makers to inform the discussion and to promote the
best use of remote care services in the future.
Available from January 17, 2023
In series:OECD Health Policy Studiesview more titles
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Foreword | |
| Executive summary | |
| Use of telemedicine has boomed during the COVID‑19 pandemic | |
| The regulation and financing of telemedicine in the OECD, before and during COVID‑19 | |
| The impact of telemedicine on health care system performance | |
| Policy priorities for promoting the best use of telemedicine | |
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