Webinar | Telehealth: Key evidence, risks, and potential for disruption

Telehealth makes it easier to provide safe and accessible care to patients. Its use has grown rapidly during the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Telehealth became a top priority for payers and providers, and a lifeline for patients. Reported benefits include increased patient and provider satisfaction rates, lower healthcare costs, and added efficiencies and conveniences.

It’s estimated that more than 50 percent of healthcare services will be virtual by 2030 (source: American Telemedicine Association). With such a high volume of anticipated usage, it’s critical to consider what challenges are associated with such rapid technology growth.

Telehealth represents a broad scope of remote healthcare services. But in all these services, healthcare information is exchanged electronically by audiovisual means and telecommunication. As pandemic response transitions to new healthcare norms, informed decisions necessitate ongoing understanding of evidence about delivery of telehealth services (e.g., monitoring during and after pregnancy) and trends with the potential to cause future disruptions.

During this webinar, an ECRI advisory panel will highlight what the clinical evidence reveals about hot topics in telehealth, discuss disruption trends on the horizon, and address possible risks of rapid adoption of telehealth technologies (noted in ECRI's Top 10 Health Technology Hazards).

Learning objectives

At the end of this webinar, attendees will be able to: 

• Describe relevant Telehealth evidence assessments driven by ECRI members and the significance of these topics (e.g., maternal health)
• Understand the importance of Horizon Scanning and how this can play a central role when creating new Telehealth policies and strategy
• Gain new perspectives on technologies, including potential risks

Register to view

Register to view a recording of our April 22, 2021, live event.

Coyne Drummond, PhD

Research Analyst, Clinical Evidence-Genetic Test Assessment, ECRI

Coyne Drummond is a research analyst who joined ECRI’s clinical evidence assessment team in 2019. His work includes writing evidence reports for a variety of medical products and procedures, ranging from implantable devices to diagnostic tests and infection prevention strategies. Prior to joining ECRI, he was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Pittsburgh, working in the field of molecular and micro-biology. His research primarily focused on RNA virus replication in intestinal cells.

Andrea Druga, MSPAS, PA-C

Research Analyst, Health Care Horizon Scanning, ECRI

Andrea Druga is a research analyst in ECRI's Department of Horizon Scanning. She identifies and analyzes emerging health care technologies and trends that could potentially enter and disrupt the US health care system within the next 2 to 3 years. She primarily evaluates technologies and trends in the areas of behavioral health, COVID-19 pharmaceuticals, and rare diseases in neurology and dermatology. Andrea has been with ECRI since 2018. Before ECRI, she practiced clinically as a physician assistant. She continues to practice psychiatry part-time.  

Juuso Leinonen

Senior Project Engineer, Health Devices, ECRI

Juuso Leinonen is a senior project engineer for the Device Evaluation group at ECRI, where he performs comparative medical device evaluations and investigates medical device related accidents. Juuso has over 7 years of experience in biomedical engineering. He has published several ECRI evaluations, guidance articles, and medical device hazard reports in his areas of expertise, which include medical device cybersecurity, infusion technology, pharmacy technologies, and telehealth. Juuso holds a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from City University London, United Kingdom.

Jesse M Munn, MBA

Associate Director, Clinical Evidence Assessment, ECRI

Jesse Munn serves as an associate director for Clinical Evidence Assessment and Genetic Test Assessment services. Munn joined ECRI in 2003 and previously contributed to ECRI’s patient safety and health system risk management solutions. As associate director, he leads a team of research analysts who deliver expert evidence assessment and education about various health technology topics (drugs, devices, procedures, and care processes).