Telehealth After 50: A Smart Way to Manage Chronic Conditions

Virtual healthcare visits are becoming a key tool for managing long-term conditions. voronaman/ShutterstockFor those older than 50, telehealth offers a convenient and effective way to manage chronic health conditions. Through virtual visits, remote monitoring, and medication management, conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis can be managed effectively.The Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) found that telehealth interventions improve medication adherence, clinical outcomes (such as blood pressure), and dietary outcomes. But how does telehealth work, and does private insurance or Medicare cover it?Telehealth Part of Healthcare LandscapeTelehealth is the use of electronic informational and telecommunication technologies to support long-distance health care. The most common forms of telehealth involve a patient and a healthcare professional interacting in real time via telephones, smartphones, or other telecommunication devices. This could be with or without video.