Digital Access, Literacy & Telehealth
Digital inclusion ensures that all individuals and communities have access to and use of information and communication technologies.
The five elements of digital inclusion are:
- Affordable broadband services
- Internet-enabled devices that meet users’ needs
- Access to training
- Technical support
- Applications and online content that enables self-sufficiency, participation and collaboration
Digital Access in Bexar County
In Bexar County, about 94% of households have a computer. More than 87% of households have high-speed internet.
Digital Literacy
Digital literacy is the ability to use technology to find, create and communicate information.
About 1.4 million Texans say a lack of digital literacy keeps them from using high-speed internet.
Many survey respondents said they:
- Feared the internet is too complicated
- Didn’t know what broadband is
- Had concerns about fraud or identity theft
- Weren’t comfortable using a computer
Telehealth & Telemedicine in Texas & Bexar County
Telehealth refers to care patients receive in a different location from their providers. Health providers use video or phone to speak with patients and deliver care from a distance. Video visits with a provider require internet access and the ability to log in to a website or smart phone application.
Texas Health and Human Services offers the following definitions:
- Telemedicine – Health care providers provide medical services to a person in a different physical location.
- Telehealth –Health care services, other than telemedicine services, provided by a health professional licensed, certified, or otherwise entitled to practice, using telecommunications to deliver care to people in a different physical location. (Examples include licensed professional counselors, licensed clinical social workers and psychologists.)
- Telemonitoring – Remote monitoring of an individual’s health data, such as blood pressure, pulse, etc.
The COVID-19 pandemic increased many people’s use of telehealth. Between March and April of 2020, “Medicare telehealth visits nationwide had increased 350% from pre-pandemic visits, and almost half of all Medicare primary care visits were conducted using telehealth technology.”
Increase in Telemedicine Use
Between 2020 and 2021, the number of rural Texans with Medicaid who received telemedicine increased by 25%. It rose by nearly 30% in urban areas according to the report.
Providers delivered over 3.7 million telemedicine services to Texas Medicaid members in 2021. Telemedicine providers saw Texas Medicaid clients most frequently for behavioral health reasons. However, the highest increase in telemedicine services by percentage overall was related to respiratory illness (including COVID-19).
Increase in Telehealth Use
The number of telehealth visits increased from just over 1.5 million in 2020 to nearly 3 million in 2021. Behavioral health diagnoses were the most common diagnosis category in the Texas Medicaid teleservices population at 70%.
Increase in Telemonitoring
Medicaid members using home telemonitoring increased 9% between 2020 and 2021. The most frequent diagnoses for telemonitoring patients were:
- High blood pressure
- Type 2 diabetes
- Chronic kidney disease with high blood pressure
University Health Resources
Telemedicine
Learn about University Health’s convenient telemedicine options (virtual visits) and Hospital at Home program.
MyChart at University Health
MyChart lets you access your health information, upcoming appointments, test results, medical bills, price estimates and more all in one place – even if you’ve been treated at multiple health organizations.
Community Resources
Digital Access & Skills
San Antonio Digital Connects is a local collaboration working to ensure every household in our area has high-speed, reliable internet. The San Antonio and Greater Bexar County Digital Equity Plan aims to close the digital divide. Learn more about the plan by visiting the SA Digital Connects website.
Digital Literacy Training Toolkit
If you’d like to help someone learn how to use a computer or the internet, view the Digital Literacy Training Toolkit from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.