News Feature | November 17, 2014

9 Of 10 Organizations Have Engaged In Telemedicine

Christine Kern

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

Telehealth

A telemedicine study reveals an industry-wide movement to embrace the technology in hope of providing better quality of care.

According to the 2014 Telemedicine Survey Executive Summary, 90 percent of healthcare leaders said their organization has already begun developing or implementing a telemedicine program. The study, conducted by Foley and Lardner, LLP, is evidence of a widespread movement to embrace healthcare technology – particularly telemedicine – to improve patient quality of care and improve outcomes.

The survey also revealed a strong commitment to telemedicine programs, even while facing financial obstacles and resistance by doctors.

The report was based on the feedback of 57 health care leaders – the majority C-level executives from for-profit and nonprofit care providers including hospitals, home health organizations, and physician group practices – and was conducted between September and October of 2014.

Enthusiasm surrounding telemedicine is largely influenced by the shift in financial and payment incentives under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to the report. As providers shift away from traditional fee-for-service reimbursement models and begin to take on a greater share of the risk – and possible reward – for producing better patient outcomes, telemedicine offers a new solution for streamlining operations and expanding contact with patients.

According to the report, while leaders are confident in the potential of telemedicine, the biggest obstacle they are facing in its implementation is getting the physicians who will be using it on board. The report concludes, “As health care executives transform operations to comply with the Affordable Care Act, they are gearing up for the next monumental shift in the industry: telemedicine.”

Among the findings from the survey:

  • Eighty-four percent of respondents believe the development of telemedicine services is either very important or important to their organizations.
  • Thirty-four percent said their telemedicine programs are under construction or in development, 18 percent said their programs are in the optimization phase and the remaining 36 percent are piloting or implementing their programs.
  • Fifty percent of respondents ranked improving the quality of care as their No. 1 reason for implementing telemedicine while eighteen percent cited the opportunity to reach new patients.

The study also clearly revealed executives are determined to pursue telemedicine as a viable tool for improving healthcare options, despite the added costs. For example, the healthcare leaders surveyed indicated they do not expect an immediate return on investment, despite the cost savings associated with telemedicine.