There's no doubt that COVID-19 caused major disruptions in the way health care is delivered. Early on, to prevent exposure to the virus, patients avoided in-person interactions with health care providers, and in some cases, postponed care, therapy and procedures.

Models for care quickly evolved, and a digital revolution ensued. The industry has now seen how digital health can virtually connect patients and health care providers with effective and convenient results. Brokers and benefit advisers must be aware of these digital health trends, so they can help employer groups design a digital health ecosystem appropriate for COVID-19 and beyond. In particular, this ecosystem should consider the following types of digital health components:

Telemedicine

Telemedicine isn't new, but since the start of the pandemic, use of these services has skyrocketed. A study published in JAMA Network Open evaluated how the types of health services accessed by patients changed in March and April 2020. In-person medical services fell by 23% in March and 52% in April, while telemedicine grew by more than 1000% in March and more than 4000% in April.