VOA慢速英语--远程医疗是医学的未来吗?

Is Telehealth the Future of Medicine?

Telehealth is an American idea that seems to have been accepted by everyone during the coronavirus pandemic. It involves talking to a doctor on a computer or smartphone.

Medicare is America's government-paid healthcare for older Americans and the disabled. It changed its rules to permit doctors to use telehealth to see patients. Now there is a push to make telemedicine available to everyone in the future.

Talking to a doctor on a computer or phone increased a lot when communities shut down in early spring because of the virus. Telehealth visits decreased as things slowly reopened, but they are still far more common than before.

Expanding telehealth will involve creating a balance between cost and quality. Some are worried about privacy or fraud.

"I don't think it is ever going to replace in-person visits, because sometimes a doctor needs to put hands on a patient," said Seema Verma. She is the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and the Trump¹ administration's leader in the movement for increased telehealth.

"It's fair to say that telemedicine...it's come of age this year," said Murray Aitken of the data company IQVIA. It studies the use of telemedicine.

During of the coronavirus shutdown, telehealth made up more than 40 percent of basic care visits for patients with traditional Medicare. Before coronavirus, it was only 0.1 percent of care.

As the government's main health care program, Medicare covers more than 60 million people.

A recent poll of older Americans by the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation found that more than 70 percent of people are interested in using telehealth for follow-ups with their doctor.

Privacy, however, was an issue, mostly for those who had not experienced telemedicine. The poll found 27 percent of older Americans who had not had a telemedicine visit were worried about privacy. Among those who had tried telemedicine, only 17 percent were worried about privacy.

Many others who tried telemedicine did have some worries. About 80 percent were concerned the doctor could not physically² examine them, and 64 percent worried the quality was not as good.

For Medicare user Jean Grady of Westford, Vermont, telemedicine was very effective. She was required to see a doctor by Medicare to continue receiving insulin for her wearable pump. She worried about possible exposure to COVID-19 at a doctor's office.

So, she talked to her doctor's technology expert and downloaded the suggested teleconference software.

She said she would do some future visits by video, but not all because, for example, she will need blood tests that are done in the office.

Many private insurance plans offer some telemedicine coverage³.

In the past, traditional Medicare had restricted telemedicine to those who live far out in the country and had to travel long distances to see a doctor.

When the coronavirus hit the U.S., officials changed the restrictions⁴ so Medicare users could use telemedicine. Making such changes permanent would require legislation from Congress.

Senator Lamar Alexander is chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor⁵ and Pensions Committee. He says he would like to see greater use of telemedicine while keeping costs down.

The goal, he said, should be "better outcomes and better patient experiences, at a lower cost."

One of the big questions is: Should doctors be paid the same for a telemedicine meeting as they are for an in-person meeting with a patient?

While Congress wants to quickly pass new legislation, "I think it is worth taking a little more time," said Juliette Cubanski. She is a Medicare expert with the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. She, and others in the healthcare industry, are worried about fraud.

Andrew VanLandingham is a lawyer with the Department of Health and Human Services. He called telehealth "experimental." He worries about the unknown risks.

But many see the opportunities, especially in the areas of mental health and the treatment of chronic⁶ conditions.

I'm Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

pandemic–n. the fast spread of an infectious disease over a very wide geographic⁷ area

fraud–n. the crime of using dishonest methods to take something valuable

data–n. information used to study or plan something

poll–n. a study in which people are asked what their opinion is and is meant to find out what the public thinks about an issue

insulin–n. a substance created by the body that helps turn sugar into energy

nonpartisan–adj. not linked to any political party

chronic–adj. something that happens again and a again over a long period of time

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

3 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

4 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

5 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

6 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

7 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法