Telemedicine services are becoming more popular, as evidenced by growing demand and interest in online consultations.
In 2014, there were approximately 19.7 million telehealth video consultation sessions. That number is projected to increase to 158.4 million by 2020, a 700 percent growth, according to a report from Tractica.
The report also indicates that while the majority of current telehealth consultations are clinical, the number of non-clinical consultations will outnumber clinical consultations by 2019.
"The flexibility and efficiency of video conferencing is helping healthcare providers and payers to achieve tangible value in deploying video-based patient monitoring solutions, both in terms of positive patient outcomes and cost savings. However, the market still faces a variety of challenges, including the high initial cost of deploying services, inconsistent reimbursement models for telehealth consultations, and some continuing resistance by physicians, patients, and regulatory bodies," said Charul Vyas, principal analyst, in a statement.
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