The Long-Covid of Pharma Marketing - Part 3

Telehealth Soars, But Who’s Left Behind?

In this third blog of The Long-Covid of Pharma Marketing series, we explore the transformed healthcare landscape, where telehealth has emerged as a cornerstone of care delivery. Accelerated by the pandemic, this shift compelled patients and physicians to adopt virtual methods for providing and receiving care. While telehealth is widely recognized for its benefits – improved access, reduced patient burden, and convenience – it has also exposed stark disparities, leaving some of the most vulnerable populations behind.

The rise of telehealth underscores a critical divide: those who stand to benefit the most often face the greatest challenges in accessing and sustaining its use. To bridge this gap and unlock the full potential of telehealth, pharma marketers must delve deeper into the barriers faced by underserved groups. By gaining meaningful insights and crafting targeted solutions, they can help address these inequities and ensure telehealth becomes a truly inclusive tool for healthcare going forward.

A Changed Healthcare Practice

The pandemic fundamentally changed how people access healthcare, leading to a 24% spike in virtual all patient-physician contact in 2020, from just 0.3% in 2019[1]. The 2023 mandated report to Congress on Medicare[2] states both clinicians and recipients favor the continuation of telehealth – with 90% of beneficiaries being very or somewhat satisfied with virtual visits. Telehealth is valued for improving access to care, reducing the burden on certain patients, and is generally well-received.

On the other hand, a 2024 study involving high-risk veterans[3] revealed that although 83.4% of high-risk patients remained telehealth users, “access barriers may limit initial telehealth engagement” for those with high hospitalization risk. They found that those with high risk who overcame initial access barriers and sustained telehealth use were often from racial or ethnic minorities. In contrast, patients with lower illness burdens typically never or only briefly engaged with telehealth before returning to in-person visits and were less likely to be from minority groups.

Disparity in Access

A 2024 Digital Health Readiness screener[4] highlighted inequities in readiness for digital healthcare, indicating that those with lower readiness scores need additional support. Despite the significant investment in telehealth, and widespread agreement that it should continue post-pandemic, pharma marketers must focus on supporting initial access and use, particularly among racial and ethnic minorities and high-risk patients. The benefit of telehealth is clear, but equitable access remains a challenge that requires targeted attention.

Implications for Healthcare Marketing

Telehealth represents more than just a technological shift in healthcare – it’s a story of adapting to new ways of seeking care, often amidst uncertainty and vulnerability. For pharma marketers, the responsibility is not simply to promote telehealth but to understand and address the real struggles that often marginalized and high-risk groups face in accessing it.

The disparities in telehealth adoption remind us that behind every barrier is someone navigating fears of unfamiliar technology, uncertainty, or the weight of inequity. Effective marketing must start with empathy, listening to these stories, and meeting individuals where they are. This means crafting messages that acknowledge their concerns, building trust through transparent and compassionate communication, and collaborating with healthcare providers to offer genuine support. By focusing on the lived experiences of those who feel left behind, marketers can help bridge the divide – not through campaigns alone, but through efforts that foster understanding, empower individuals,

Integro is a global healthcare consultancy that leverages authentic human insights with strategy, technology, and behavioral science to help companies forge deeper customer connection and spark brand transformation.

[1]https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2777779?widget=personalizedcontent&previousarticle=0

[2] https://www.medpac.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Jun23_Ch7_MedPAC_Report_To_Congress_SEC.pdf#page=32

[3] https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2821694?resultClick=3

[4] https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2823319