NEW YORK- Even through the challenging year, telehealth has made strides, taking it from a fringe offering to a mainstream treatment model. Through this, patient satisfaction is at an all-time high.

"It's a testament to how challenging it is to change things without some bigger impetus," said Dr. David Nickelson, VP of client growth at digital consultancy Nerdery.

The industry at large will have to take a new look at what the patient experience really means. There needs to be a more cohesive and integrated strategy that will allow patients to transition between modalities such as talk, chat and a complete transition to telemedicine. Officials say some providers find telemedicine to be difficult, but patients really like it, especially millennials.

Certain files that lend themselves to telehealth such as dermatology have seen a boom in platforms and tools that support them. This allows for other specialties to see how smooth the transition can go and will follow.

"It relates to virtual care because you want to have these remote sensors out there, recognizing and alerting people to any issues that may come up, and then be able to intervene remotely without bringing the patient in, or at least doing an initial diagnostic," said Nickelson. "This will drive virtual care in the years ahead."

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