Virtual Health in a Post–COVID World : Optimizing Regulation, Reimbursement, and Regularity

Virtual health is the sum of telehealth (patient–provider communication at a distance) and autonomous health (electronic devices communicating with providers and patients at a distance). The COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant social distancing led to a sharp increase in the use of virtual health. In this paper, we ask which public policies would encourage the continued use and expansion of virtual health. We find that the answers lie in the three Rs: regulations to support easier access to virtual health, reimbursement that incentivizes appropriate care, and regularity—the social and cultural acceptance of virtual health