The outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is accelerating the adoption of remote visits to doctors and telemedicine services which are mostly based on blockchain.

In the modern world, it is an extraordinary moment as the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has rapidly become a global phenomenon. In the midst of the frenzied response to the deadly pandemic, whole countries are calling for shelter-in-place measures to keep people at home as restaurants and businesses close their doors.

Essential services remain open in these areas, including doctors ‘ offices and hospitals, but social distancing leaves many people hesitating to leave their, while in some countries health services are already feeling the strain under the increasing number of coronavirus patients. It’s no surprise, given the increasing isolation of the world’s population, that telemedicine is getting much more attention.

10 Percent of Americans Used Telemedicine in 2019

Telemedicine (AKA telehealth) is the remote use of telecommunications to deliver care, for example, trading a typical doctor’s appointment with a medical processional for a private, secure video call. In recent years the practice has been gradually on the rise; a J.D. Power study published in 2019 showed that nearly 10 percent of Americans used telemedicine instead of a physical visit in the previous year.

It is worth mentioning that, many of those patients were likely using telemedicine services that rely on blockchain technology to secure interactions, and in some cases allowing patients to control their own data. Blockchain is uniquely positioned with its immutable ledger and cryptographic design to power such critical, sensitive services. And with the global COVID-19 pandemic potentially spreading out for months to come, this could be the tipping point that helps the mainstream to normalize telemedicine.

Coronavirus Drives Telemedicine Growth

In recent weeks, telemedicine services have reported unprecedented demand, while state and federal governments are clearing up some of the previous roadblocks for its expansion. For example, following other telemedicine-friendly movements in the past, President Trump’s administration expanded Medicare benefits to US telemedicine services in the wake of COVID-19, while China opened the floodgates to Internet-based services. Telemedicine is a whole new world.

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