"Half of Telemedicine Cases Decrease"
No Guidelines... User Inconvenience
As non-face-to-face medical consultations shifted to focus on 'returning patients,' the number of non-face-to-face consultations conducted through platforms on the first day of the pilot project significantly decreased compared to before. Despite the implementation of the pilot project, the lack of concrete guidelines has increased confusion not only in the platform industry but also in medical sites and among patients.
According to the medical and platform industries on the 2nd, although the number of platform visitors did not significantly decrease on the first day of the non-face-to-face consultation pilot project the previous day, the actual number of non-face-to-face consultations declined. Since non-face-to-face consultations are only available for returning patients, it took time to screen them, causing inconvenience for users who intended to use non-face-to-face consultations. A representative from a platform company said, "The volume of access itself is similar to the temporary allowance period, but the actual number of consultations conducted has decreased by about half," adding, "There were delays in confirming whether patients were returning, and in many cases, affiliated clinics completely did not accept consultation requests out of concern for potential issues."
Due to the absence of detailed guidelines or instructions related to the pilot project, confusion in the platform industry is significant. Even on the first day of the pilot project, most non-face-to-face consultation applications (apps) were providing information about medication delivery. During the pilot project period, medication delivery is basically prohibited, and it is only allowed when the patient and pharmacist agree in cases such as patients with mobility difficulties or confirmed infectious disease patients. However, the platform industry states that it is difficult to implement changes immediately given the tight announcement schedule of the pilot project promotion plan. Another platform representative said, "The specific plan was only announced two days before the pilot project started, so it was too tight to make changes in time," and added, "Since this is a grace period, we hope that at least concrete guidelines will be provided."
In this situation, the platform industry faces a crossroads between survival and closure. Since temporary non-face-to-face consultations were allowed in February 2020 due to COVID-19, about 30 platforms have been established, but some have started to cease operations. A company specializing in male medical healthcare stopped its non-face-to-face consultation service at the end of last month before the pilot project began. Because the pilot project is conducted in a limited manner, platforms targeting specific diseases or demographics inevitably face a significant reduction in operational scope. The future of each platform is expected to be determined based on the results of the three-month grace period operation.
The platform industry insists that continuous communication is necessary to stabilize the non-face-to-face consultation pilot project and alleviate patient inconvenience. The Remote Medical Industry Council emphasized, "Announcing the final plan two weeks after the draft and just two days before the official implementation is a disregard for the public," and added, "A pilot project consultative body including the industry should be formed so that institutional improvements can be made during the grace period to prevent confusion among both the public and participating medical staff."
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