Expanding access to telehealth information during COVID-19
Summary
During the COVID-19 public health emergency, providers and patients needed a clear, trustworthy way to understand rapidly changing telehealth options. We partnered with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), teams across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Presidential Innovation Fellows to launch Telehealth.HHS.gov — a plain-language website that made telehealth guidance easier to find, understand, and use at national scale.
The challenge
COVID-19 placed extraordinary strain on the U.S. healthcare system and accelerated the need for remote care.
Telehealth became an essential way for patients to access care while reducing unnecessary in-person exposure. At the same time, new federal policies and temporary flexibilities rapidly expanded telehealth coverage, availability, and eligible use cases. But this information was evolving quickly and was often difficult for providers and patients to find, interpret, and act on.
The challenge was twofold: centralize the most relevant telehealth information and deliver it in a way that people could understand and use immediately — all on an unusually compressed timeline during a public health emergency.
The solution
We moved quickly from concept to launch. Within a few weeks, we designed and released Telehealth.HHS.gov, a website that helped providers and patients navigate telehealth during a rapidly escalating pandemic.
To deliver quickly without sacrificing quality, we built on proven foundations — including open-source tools such as the U.S. Web Design System, established digital delivery practices, and the team’s prior experience launching public digital services.
Our approach included:
- Interviewing physicians and members of the public to understand telehealth awareness, information needs, and barriers to use
- Prioritizing content, validating early prototypes, and defining an initial product direction aligned to urgent user and business needs
- Working closely with subject-matter experts to review content for accuracy and relevance
- Running moderated and unmoderated research studies to refine designs and content ahead of launch
- Developing a content guide alongside the product to maintain quality and consistency at speed and support future content development
After launch, we continued to expand the site with high-priority content, including:
- Best-practice guidance for providers on specialized topics such as telehealth in emergency departments and direct-to-consumer telehealth
- Tips for finding free or low-cost telehealth services through health centers
- Guidance on improving telehealth access, equity, and accessibility
The results
- Designed and launched the first version of Telehealth.HHS.gov within a few weeks
- Conducted interviews and unmoderated research studies with more than 75 participants before the initial launch
- Achieved a 75% “yes” rate on the site’s “Is this page useful?” survey
- Successfully transitioned the site and scope of services to a larger contractor for ongoing operation and growth