René Quashie, vice president of policy and regulatory affairs for digital health at the Consumer Technology Association, discussed with Politico the three most pressing digital health questions in 2022.
1. If COVID-19 regulations are relaxed, what happens to telemedicine and digital health?
CMS has waived certain requirements for licensing and telemedicine since the beginning of the pandemic, and HIPAA regulations also were loosened for some digital tools, according to Politico.
When the public health crisis begins to subside, that may leave the future of the use of telehealth and digital care tools up in the air.
"What kind of penetration are [these tools] going to have in the healthcare market?" Mr. Quashie asked. "How is the healthcare system going to integrate all these new technology-enabled solutions within their practices, within their clinical workflows?"
2. Will remote patient-monitoring close the divide on health equity issues?
Mr. Quashie said that without a robust way to remotely monitor patients' chronic illnesses, "we're really not going to make a dent in the health equity conversation."
Mr. Quashie said remote patient-monitoring tools that are geared toward underserved communities that take digital literacy and other factors into account will be "absolutely key to watch."
3. What happens to mental health technology as the U.S. enters the third year of the pandemic?
Mr. Quashie told Politico that more focus on technologies like telemedicine, augmented reality and mindfulness apps might be able to bridge the gap between the shortage of mental health clinicians and the number of people seeking mental health support.