Final answer:
The most common goal of telehealth before the pandemic was to improve patient outcomes. Telehealth initiatives were geared towards enhancing healthcare quality, expanding access to healthcare services, and reducing the overall costs associated with healthcare delivery.
Step-by-step explanation:
Prior to the pandemic, the most common goal of telehealth was improving patient outcomes. This objective aligns with broader goals in the healthcare industry focused on enhancing the quality of care, expanding access, and reducing costs. Innovations through telehealth include the sharing of digital records among health providers, which serves as a means to improve the quality of healthcare and achieve cost reductions. The process of healthcare system optimization has been part of the U.S. healthcare landscape for years, with strategies to address an aging and less healthy population, increased demand, and rising healthcare costs. The emphasis has been on efficiency, scalability, and the pursuit of better health outcomes through means such as telehealth, artificial intelligence, provider consolidation, and policy initiatives like the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).