Telemedicine in Transition: Growing Pains or Just Progress?
Download MP3🎙️ Episode Title: The Growing Pains of Telemedicine: Mental Health, Prescriptions, and Privacy Issues
In this episode, we dive into:
- The rise of telemedicine and telehealth as a new wave of healthcare, especially popularized during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Why mental health services became a key area for telehealth innovation, given the conversational nature of therapy.
- The boom of online mental health platforms, including:
- Cerebral
- Done Global
- Talkspace
- The pitfalls of rapid growth:
- Massive venture capital investments (e.g., $5 billion valuation within just a few years)
- Overprescription of medications, raising regulatory and ethical concerns
- Major pharmacies like CVS and Walmart refusing to fill prescriptions from these providers
- Shocking revelations:
- Some companies were run by people with no medical training
- Heavy advertising via social media
- A quote from an insider:
"It’s one thing to be disruptive, but there’s a reason that medicine is encumbered by regulations. They’re dealing with people’s lives."
- Issues with therapy quality and professionalism:
- Therapists taking calls from cars, gas stations, or homes with people walking behind them
- Lack of privacy and focus during therapy sessions
- The challenge of quality control due to:
- Increased demand during the pandemic
- Lowered standards in therapist training and hiring
- Final thoughts:
- Telehealth holds huge potential, especially in mental health.
- But its explosive growth needs careful oversight to ensure patient safety, quality care, and trust.
