Telehealth

Abstract

Modern telehealth has existed since the second half of the 20th century and has recently been gaining wider attention because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This article provides an overview of historical milestones in the development of telehealth, including various ways that individuals and organizations have innovated in the field, and regulatory milestones that have aided the proliferation of telehealth in the United States. The second half of the article provides a broad overview of the pros and cons of telehealth, focusing on both individual- and system-level effects. Given the increasing interest in telehealth—among consumers, healthcare providers, and mainstream technology giants—telehealth is likely to continue to be an important tool for healthcare delivery for the foreseeable future.