Expanding telehealth can transform health care in Texas. Here’s how.
Earlier this month, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced his intention to permanently expand access to telemedicine services, which have surged throughout the pandemic.
Thankfully, this idea, long championed by telehealth advocates in Texas and nationwide, is gaining bipartisan support. Both Democrats and Republicans have filed bills aimed at expanding telemedicine services long-term, based on its successful use in Texas throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
These proposals to permanently expand telemedicine services are a much-needed step forward from a state that has traditionally resisted expanded use of telehealth, despite persistent access issues. Texas was the last state in the US to allow doctors to see patients virtually without first seeing them in-person — a change that only happened in November 2017 after a lengthy legal and public relations battle between the Texas Medical Review Board and telehealth platforms.
Expanded access to telehealth has brought meaningful benefits to Americans during the pandemic — and with new legislation can continue to drive patient benefits long after the virus is gone. This is especially true in Texas, where by standard measures including “drive time” — how long patients have to drive to see an available doctor — patients have some of the most challenging access issues in the entire country. Large sections of the state, particularly in the panhandle, have no doctors or nurse practitioners at all — making it difficult for large swaths of the population to access care. At the end of 2019, before the outbreak of the coronavirus, a study found that 33 of Texas’s 254 counties have no doctors at all. This is true broadly across specialties, but it’s particularly painful in primary care — an area of health care ripe for telehealth adoption. In Texas, the ratio of primary care doctors per 100,000 patients is only 54, compared to 76 nationally. That number is only getting worse.
Adopting the proposals to expand telehealth services can vastly improve Texans’ access to health care — and could be a godsend for the panhandle, in particular, where thousands of Texans live over an hour drive from a doctor, and much further from a specialist. Telehealth regulations allow any physician licensed in the state to see patients anywhere in that state. Permanently expanding telehealth would mean that someone in Hall County — where 3,000 Texans live without a single doctor — wouldn’t have to drive to Childress (an hour round trip) just to see a doctor. Instead, they would be able to get care from home for most acute and urgent needs, without the expense of their time and gas money.
Access to care issues won’t end when Texans are vaccinated. For example, take a look at what happened this week when frigid winter weather closed highways and damaged power plants. Millions of people were left stranded in the cold without power. This won’t be the last winter storm in Texas — in the years to come, the ability to get necessary care via a video visit on your smartphone can and will be a lifesaver for panhandle residents and Texans statewide.
