Adoption of Telehealth as a Strategy for Pre-Transplant Evaluation and Post-Transplant Follow-up

Telehealth became widely adopted and accepted during the COVID-19 pandemic, facilitated by necessity and public policy changes. Telehealth utilization in transplantation remains post-pandemic, although not at levels seen during the pandemic. This review explores the literature in recent years on how telehealth can be utilized in all phases of transplant care, enumerating benefits while also highlighting challenges and opportunities for the future.

Telemedicine is being used for transplant patients with reported cost-savings, timeliness, convenience, satisfaction, and good outcomes. Some patient populations prefer this modality for non-urgent care; however, this is not universal and personalized approaches should be considered to allow for equity and quality. Concerns include payment parity, state licensure, privacy, technology and connectivity.

The adoption of telehealth for pre- and post-transplant care was accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, some of the barriers that went away during the pandemic, including state licensure, payment parity, and investment in infrastructure, have resurfaced. Additionally, areas of further exploration include patient-centered technology, laboratory value acquisition, privacy, and relationships with providers. Finally, there needs to be careful attention to disparities in access and health literacy as well as education of providers on this model for healthcare delivery.