Telemedicine on the rise, but rural communities are concerned about privacy

DENVER ( KDVR ) — Telemedicine has been used for decades, however, it exploded during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, experts said it is only going to expand.

Virtual health care is sticking around for better or worse. More and more companies are trying to get in on the virtual care business, including Amazon.

It can be a benefit to those in rural communities who would have to travel for quality care or for those who have transportation or mobility issues. However, there are roadblocks, like internet access and questions about quality care.

The Colorado Office of eHealth Innovation conducted a survey of 800 adults in rural Colorado households in the northwest portion of the state to uncover challenges as they try to connect to telehealth services. The survey took place between April and May 2024 for Delta, Garfield, Mesa, Moffat, Montrose, Rio Blanco and Routt counties.

According to the survey , the top concern of using telehealth is the privacy of their information. About 60% of people who use telehealth already and those who don’t state privacy as their top deterrent.

Paul Murphy , a former paramedic and current affiliate faculty in the health professions department at the Metropolitan State University of Denver, weighed in.

He said it is important to know that as you’re logging into different systems and entering your name, date of birth, medical history and health insurance information, know that it is out there, but many health care providers will be using encrypted platforms.

“From a cybersecurity stable perspective, there’s always a risk. It’s technology. It’s the cloud, and while it can be very, very secure, I don’t think there’s anyone out there who would say it’s always 100% foolproof because something always happened. And you now have the bad actors from around the globe who are trying to manipulate health care system records. So, your MyChart on your phone and the cloud with that sitting could be under attack. And from a consumer perspective, is it concerning? Yes. However, there’s infrastructure in place and there’s the rules around how the data can get used,” said Murphy.

Despite this, according to the survey, those who already use telehealth said it saved them time and money.

Another top concern about using telehealth services is the fear that health issues may not be adequately addressed or caught online. Of those surveyed, 44% said they have concerns about the quality of care that might be provided through telehealth services.

“When you have a provider who is young, a clinician who is tech-savvy, it’s great, versus the provider who’s older now trying to interact with an older patient, and they’re both having tech issues, the frustration levels there. Truly, virtual care is not intended to replace per se in-person care, but it’s a massive supplement to that and can support that. There are some health care programs out there that view their virtual care program quality as being equal to if not better than in-person care. That’s the standard a lot of organizations are holding to, and the consumer should expect that access to quality care that’s affordable,” said Murphy.

As far as when to choose a virtual visit, Murphy said that things like a skin rash, lesion, or pink eye can be done by telehealth, whereas for symptoms like chest pain or signs of a stroke, you should go to the ER immediately.

Murphy also said that technology is going to get more advanced with wearable technology for things like monitoring patients’ heart and glucose for example.

Murphy said right now in the metro, appointment times are weeks if not months out, so a virtual visit can be a good option to be seen sooner.

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