UCSP 615
Telehealth in the Healthcare Industry
University of Maryland Global Campus
UCSP 615
Introduction
With the increased restrictions set in place by local and national governments throughout
the United States because of COVID-19, telehealth (also referred to as telemedicine, virtual
healthcare, etc.) has become a popular and effective way for patients to see their doctors. Even
at the beginning of the pandemic, the increase in telehealth visits was noticeable across the
industry. Not only do telehealth visits decrease both the patient and doctor’s exposure to the
virus, it allows for a level of convenience that is attractive to both parties. Although incredibly
convenient, the technology behind these virtual visits does present a security challenge from a
cybersecurity perspective. Balancing convenience and security has always been a difficult
problem to solve. Even so, telehealth is a convenient, accessible, and budget-friendly means for
the average patient to receive routine healthcare and cybersecurity should not be a deterrent from
such a cutting edge aspect of medicine.
Discussion
As far back as 2013, telemedicine accounted for almost ¼ of the market share in clinical
healthcare information technologies; worth almost $3.5 billion (www.prweb.com, 2015). With
almost 90% of US households having an internet connection as of 2019 (Johnson, 2021), the
ability to open one’s laptop or smart phone and see your doctor “face-to-face" is an increasingly
convenient way for Americans to visit their doctors. Undoubtedly, this figure is sure to rise
given the recent necessity of telehealth during the COVID 19 pandemic.
, In addition to the physical convenience, one of the biggest advantages to telehealth is the
expanded access to healthcare to patients who would otherwise be restricted. Whether it is
financial, medical, or physical barriers, telehealth helps breakdown these barriers. Costs
associated with telehealth visits are significantly less than the costs of traditional in-office visits
thus opening the doors to healthcare to those who may not have been able to afford it.
Additionally, CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
advocates telehealth in order to improve the health of Americans living in rural areas to help
improve the health of rural residents (www.cdc.gov). These patients now have access specialists
and second opinions where previously, they may have avoided a long drive, or an excessive
specialty cost from an out of network provider (Elmer, 2020).
As more people turn to the internet for the increased convenience of virtual medicine, the
risk of private data being compromised increases. The key to this problem is not simple; it is
evolving all the time. “Solutions that are reactive to problems within the current infrastructure
will likely have little long term impact toward reducing cybersecurity vulnerabilities because
they do not address the underlying system challenges” (Farringer & Blum, 2019). What this
means is cybersecurity is always one step behind. In order for the healthcare industry to
overcome this basic problem, emphasis must be placed on four basic ideas: regular updates,
training, encryption, and data backup (Geis, 2017). Diligence in these areas will help alleviate
cybercriminal activities, but the threat of data breaches will never be fully eliminated. The best
course of action is to constantly assess the internal practices of your organization, and be sure to
train all users about the importance of updating and backing up information.
While the security aspects of telehealth are important, the challenge to affording and
accessing medical help is more important. Unlike the general population, where almost 90% of
households have internet access, more than 41% of Medicare beneficiaries do not have internet
or computer access at home (George, 2020). At this point, understanding that a portion of the
Telehealth in the Healthcare Industry
University of Maryland Global Campus
UCSP 615
Introduction
With the increased restrictions set in place by local and national governments throughout
the United States because of COVID-19, telehealth (also referred to as telemedicine, virtual
healthcare, etc.) has become a popular and effective way for patients to see their doctors. Even
at the beginning of the pandemic, the increase in telehealth visits was noticeable across the
industry. Not only do telehealth visits decrease both the patient and doctor’s exposure to the
virus, it allows for a level of convenience that is attractive to both parties. Although incredibly
convenient, the technology behind these virtual visits does present a security challenge from a
cybersecurity perspective. Balancing convenience and security has always been a difficult
problem to solve. Even so, telehealth is a convenient, accessible, and budget-friendly means for
the average patient to receive routine healthcare and cybersecurity should not be a deterrent from
such a cutting edge aspect of medicine.
Discussion
As far back as 2013, telemedicine accounted for almost ¼ of the market share in clinical
healthcare information technologies; worth almost $3.5 billion (www.prweb.com, 2015). With
almost 90% of US households having an internet connection as of 2019 (Johnson, 2021), the
ability to open one’s laptop or smart phone and see your doctor “face-to-face" is an increasingly
convenient way for Americans to visit their doctors. Undoubtedly, this figure is sure to rise
given the recent necessity of telehealth during the COVID 19 pandemic.
, In addition to the physical convenience, one of the biggest advantages to telehealth is the
expanded access to healthcare to patients who would otherwise be restricted. Whether it is
financial, medical, or physical barriers, telehealth helps breakdown these barriers. Costs
associated with telehealth visits are significantly less than the costs of traditional in-office visits
thus opening the doors to healthcare to those who may not have been able to afford it.
Additionally, CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
advocates telehealth in order to improve the health of Americans living in rural areas to help
improve the health of rural residents (www.cdc.gov). These patients now have access specialists
and second opinions where previously, they may have avoided a long drive, or an excessive
specialty cost from an out of network provider (Elmer, 2020).
As more people turn to the internet for the increased convenience of virtual medicine, the
risk of private data being compromised increases. The key to this problem is not simple; it is
evolving all the time. “Solutions that are reactive to problems within the current infrastructure
will likely have little long term impact toward reducing cybersecurity vulnerabilities because
they do not address the underlying system challenges” (Farringer & Blum, 2019). What this
means is cybersecurity is always one step behind. In order for the healthcare industry to
overcome this basic problem, emphasis must be placed on four basic ideas: regular updates,
training, encryption, and data backup (Geis, 2017). Diligence in these areas will help alleviate
cybercriminal activities, but the threat of data breaches will never be fully eliminated. The best
course of action is to constantly assess the internal practices of your organization, and be sure to
train all users about the importance of updating and backing up information.
While the security aspects of telehealth are important, the challenge to affording and
accessing medical help is more important. Unlike the general population, where almost 90% of
households have internet access, more than 41% of Medicare beneficiaries do not have internet
or computer access at home (George, 2020). At this point, understanding that a portion of the
