Telemedicine, Modernized Licensing Can Help Bridge Health Disparity Gap

Racial and ethnic disparities were discovered to be persistent in all state health systems, according to a Commonwealth Fund analysis published this week. The authors of the paper identified many legislative reforms that might aid in closing the gap, including ensuring health coverage, making investments in social services, lowering administrative barriers, and enhancing service delivery, especially through telemedicine and license modernization. The chief medical officer at Included Health (previously known as Doctor on Demand), Dr. Ian Tong, expressed optimism about the future of virtual care in a statement about the study that was provided to Healthcare IT News. "With the recent rise in virtual care, I'm hopeful that soon your ZIP code will no longer decide the type or quality of healthcare you receive, no matter where you live," he said.