Many employers sent workers to do their jobs at home last spring. A lot of them are finding that things are going just fine that way and considering whether to make remote work a permanent option that could save money on facilities. Similarly, many patients tried (and liked) telemedicine for the first time over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic—begging the question of whether that will become a preferred option that threatens traditional brick-and-mortar healthcare facilities. A new article in Forbes ponders whether “now that patients have experienced a world of office-free appointments, COVID’s departure will not put the genie back into the bottle.” The article makes a strong case that healthcare operators who are unwilling to offer at least some telehealth services are missing revenue opportunities, to the extent that this could become a substantial competitive disadvantage. It also acknowledges that telehealth does not fit neatly into a fee-for-service model. Many payers have instituted “temporary” reimbursement policies to ensure providers are paid appropriately for virtual care during the pandemic; many of those will expire at the end of this year. This could compel urgent care providers to get creative about how to give patients what they want (more access via telehealth) while ensuring adequate compensation. As the Forbes piece points out, we will not be going back to what we think of as “normal” operations any time soon, if ever. Adaptability has always been a strength of the urgent care industry—and in the era of COVID-19, it’s an essential survival skill.