A recent survey shows most health care providers are using telehealth with some success. But getting paid for it remains an on-going battle for many.

The survey, conducted by Health Intelligence Network, found 67% of respondents were using telehealth for either clinical or non-clinical purposes. Just under half (49%) use it to remotely monitor patients’ health.

For the most part, providers aren’t using hi-tech solutions: 72% cited the phone as the most used medium for telehealth. Another 39% said they offer broadband connections for telehealth services.

Other highlights from the survey:

• The biggest benefit of using telehealth was health care efficiency, cited by 73% of respondents.
• Just under 20% of respondents said their biggest headache in implementing telehealth was getting reimbursed for it.
• Most of those using telehealth made it available to their entire client base. Only 17% focused its use on the chronically ill; 8% primarily targeted rural patients.
• The condition most commonly tracked via telehealth was heart failure.

Tags: chronic disease, efficiency, Health Intelligence Network, heart failure, reimbursement, rural health, telehealth