Telemedicine in Urology: The Socioeconomic Impact.

Kirshenbaum, Eric; Rhee, Eugene Y; Gettman, Matthew; Spitz, Aaron

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent public health emergency (PHE) have propelled telemedicine several years into the future. With the rapid adoption of this technology came socioeconomic inequities as minority communities disproportionately have yet to adopt telemedicine. Telemedicine offers solutions to patient access issues that have plagued urology, helping address physician shortages in rural areas and expanding the reach of urologists. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have adopted changes to expand coverage for telemedicine services. The expectation is that telemedicine will continue to be a mainstay in the health care system with gradual expansion in utilization.