In a study of 2,000 adults from around the United States, two-thirds of respondents stated that COVID-19 increased their willingness to try telehealth in the future. This is in comparison to about 25 percent who expressed they hadn’t previously considered it an option. 

Physicians discuss and document their patients’ health throughout their day, but when it comes to communicating about their own mental health, they are often silent. Stoicism in physicians is not necessarily harmful if practiced correctly. However, when feelings of burnout are simply ignored or disregarded, but symptoms persist, it becomes a significant risk to patients, physicians and the healthcare organization itself.

In the United States, a large portion of healthcare spending is incurred by a small percentage of the population. That’s nothing new. Neither is the fact that the U.S. spends more money on healthcare - approximately $3.6 trillion and 18 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) – than any other developed nation. 

This year presented many challenges – simply seeing patients safely and maintaining routine care became a big concern. So, on December 9th, we  partnered with athenahealth for a webinar on growing patient volume in the new year.

Physicians are naturally high achievers. They endure years of grueling education and post-graduate training, often at the expense of other areas of their life. This intrinsic will to help others and succeed extends throughout their practice, which, we are learning, can contribute to physician burnout.

In the 1920s, radios were used to communicate medical advice to clinics on ships. Thirty years later, two Pennsylvania physicians exchanged radiologic images through telephone lines. A little more than 20 years ago, the University of Alaska Anchorage and the Alaska Native Health Board created the Village Telemedicine Project to provide telemedicine equipment to four regional hospitals and 20 village clinics to benefit Alaska Native people.