Imagine a time when house calls were made by doctors riding horses with their leather saddle bags filled with crude diagnostic and surgical tools. Fast-forward to 100 years later when a house call is made by real-time communication devices such as smartphones or laptop computers utilizing Skype to video conference a physician visit. 2015 has ushered in a peaked consumer interest in telehealth services, as insurance companies are saving money while offering patients access to medical care that is providing high quality and patient satisfaction. With the aging of the baby boomers, consumers are demanding more convenient quality care that can be offered through Telehealth services.
Providers are able to interact with their patients in an efficient and cost-effective way that allows those living in rural areas better access to medical care as well as a means of communication for patients who have difficulty finding transportation to doctor appointments. Patients are not being lost to lack of follow up after hospitalizations, as they can be monitored following discharge home by combining medical equipment technology as well as nurse/physician visits via Telehealth.
Towers Watson, an international benefits advisor, reported that 22% of employers surveyed offered the telehealth benefit in 2014, and during 2015, based on surveys, they anticipate that 37% of employers are expected to offer their employees a telemedicine benefit as an alternative to emergency room or physician office visits for nonemergency health issues, saving money for employers and insurance companies while offering a low-cost alternative to consumers. This is a 68% increase from 2014. The survey pointed out that another 34% of employers are considering offering telemedicine for 2016 or 2017.
Patient satisfaction is a big player that is driving employer and health plan interest in providing telehealth. Consumers are aging in and becoming more proactive in their quest for convenient high-quality healthcare and telehealth offers it. The biggest challenges to telehealth lie in the deep cavern of legislative and regulatory challenges. As 2015 has proven, telehealth continues to grow quickly, and politics will become a driving force in the maturation of regulations and the implementation of this efficient and cost-effective service.
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So very interested in being a supportive part of telemedicine! RN with 10 years of IT expereience
Thanks Barbara- we need medical professionals to embrace this new technology- much respect for being ahead of that bell curve.
To the extent it helps underserved populations obtain medical care, telemedicine is a good thing. Hopefully CMS, other regulators and legislators will actively dialogue with the healthcare profession and with patient to insure that telemedicine is successful.
Unfortunately, in my narrow profession (whistleblower lawyer), we have already seen abuses of the so-called “doc in a box” programs. Some providers are jumping the gun and pushing the limits of what is safe for patients and what is legal.
Agreed Brian- thank for the valuable feedback. We need clarity across the board for Telemed from the legislature. We are finding success in certain States and others have a long way to go.
Not only is this a cost saving alternative for insurance companies, but due to ACO’s and more cost effective benefit designs, out of pocket costs to patients have increased substantially. I expect to see a significant increase in the utilization of this service as a more affordable mechanism for patients to seek treatment. I fear we will begin to experience more people not seeking treatment timely due to rising deductibles and out of pocket expenses. This will increase health care costs long term.
We need to rethink how we deliver medicine in rural communities. Traditional delivery systems are unsustainable in their current format for many parts of the country and telemedicine provides some alternatives for ensuring quality care is available. My belief is that this is just one element of a far more comprehensive approach that needs to be explored.