[Miami, 06/23/2023] All stakeholders are jointly responsible for guaranteeing equitable access to high-quality telehealth care for everyone. This can be achieved by enhancing the telehealth workflow, providing staff training, improving community resources, and meeting the requirements of underprivileged segments of society in their communities.

Health Equity
Telehealth can help achieve health equity by ensuring that everyone has access to the required healthcare regardless of their social or economic status. Health equity in telehealth necessitates improvements in digital literacy, technology, and analytics. These changes would enable telehealth providers to serve the communities needing quality healthcare the most.

Obstacles to Access of Telehealth Services
Some possible obstacles for people trying to access telehealth services could be the language barrier, absence of specialized equipment for individuals with disabilities, lack of access to devices with video-sharing capabilities, limited or no access to the Internet, lack of a private and suitable environment to engage in virtual appointments and absence of healthcare providers offering telehealth services within the area.

Underserved Communities
Often underserved communities include rural Americans, low-income Americans, people with disabilities, people of color, immigrants, older patients, LGBTQ individuals, non-English speaking individuals, people with limited digital literacy, and uninsured or underinsured people.

Consequences Due to Lack of Equal Access to Healthcare
Underserved communities may not have the same access to healthcare as others, resulting in higher disease rates, more severe illnesses, higher mortality rates, lack of treatment options, increased medical expenses, and lack of health insurance.

How to Increase Access to Telehealth Services
Improving access to telehealth can make new patients feel more comfortable and welcome. Access to telehealth can be accomplished by providing digital literacy classes, offering alternative technologies to connect with providers, such as phone or text-based consultations, and expanding access to telehealth services in rural and underserved areas. The use of remote patient monitoring and telehealth platforms such as DoctoDoor can also make a big impact on resolving the issue of limited access to quality healthcare.

Outreach Efforts
Additionally, increasing outreach efforts in underserved communities can help reduce healthcare disparities. Providers also need to take a holistic approach to care that focuses on addressing each patient's unique needs to ensure equitable access to telehealth services.

Overall, enhancing telehealth access can help ensure everyone has the same opportunities for quality healthcare. Providers can better serve patients from all backgrounds and ensure public health by addressing issues such as digital literacy, technology, and analytics.

About DoctoDoor
DoctoDoor is a telemedicine and remote patient monitoring platform that uses research-based outcomes and has been funded by international research organizations. It is currently installed in the USA, Spain, and India, and its multi-lingual capabilities make it usable in any part of the world. For more details, interested parties may visit https://doctodoor.com/.