Telehealth: Who’s using it and how
February 3, 2010 by Carol KatarskyPosted in: Communication, Health care/Treatment trends, Hospital Management, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Patient/Client Communication, Practice Management, Technology
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.
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Tags: chronic disease, efficiency, Health Intelligence Network, heart failure, reimbursement, rural health, telehealth
