This is a ChannelVision Magazine Publication.

Telemedicine Post Pandemic By Martin Vilaboy An optimistically cautious diagnosis for virtual healthcare D espite years of great potential, video-en- abled and chat-assisted telemedicine has been rather slow to gain traction. Prior to COVID-19, for instance, only about 10 per - cent of U.S. healthcare providers even offered some form of virtualized appointments, show figures from Ipsos, as telemedicine was largely seen as a way to provide healthcare in remote areas or where there are shortages of specialty care providers. The emer - gence of COVID-19 – both the large number of cases combined with desires to remain socially distant – led to a massive boost in telemedicine adoption, and proponents are now hopeful that forced behavioral changes that occurred during lockdowns could prove a watershed moment for telemedicine and the sur- rounding technologies. Certainly, on the supply side, things have changed dramatically, with 80 percent of healthcare providers surveyed by Ipsos in April saying they now take tele - health visits due to the pandemic, and up to 57 per- cent of recent visits happening not in-person. That’s good news for partners serving the healthcare vertical, as increased use of telemedicine not only requires sufficient bandwidth along with reliable and secure videoconferencing capabilities, but it also could lead to increased demand within the vertical for electronic invoice and payment methods, connected wearable devices and document and file sharing capabilities. BUYERS SIDE 16 CHANNEL VISION | May - June, 2020