The uses for telehealth are growing, and healthcare organizations seem to be adopting virtual care services to take advantage of the value such visits provide.
"Telehealth is rapidly evolving beyond urgent care and is increasingly used for follow-up visits and helping chronically ill patients connect with their doctor online," according to Richard Bakalar, MD, managing director at KPMG. "Health plans and government payers are seeing the value from the technology and enhancing reimbursement for virtual care."
This trend is reflected in a recent poll conducted by KPMG of 120 healthcare professionals.
Here are five key drivers poll respondents outlined for expediting the adoption of telehealth services:
- Increase patient volumes and loyalty: 29 percent
- Care coordination of high-risk patients: 17 percent
- Reduce costs for access to specialists: 17 percent
- Meaningful use and payer incentives: 13 percent
- Consumer demand: 13 percent
However, telehealth adoption does faces challenges, including:
- Too many other technological priorities: 19 percent
- Maintaining a sustainable business model: 18 percent
- Organizational readiness to implement new services: 18 percent
- Regulatory compliance and risk concerns: 15 percent
More articles on telehealth:
Highmark partners with Quartet Health to coordinate mental health treatment
MDLIVE adds behavioral health services to Walgreens telehealth offerings
WeCounsel secures $3.5M in funding for behavioral telehealth