Telemedicine's expansion a virtual certainty, paper says

Many of the barriers to widespread adoption of telemedicine are dissolving because of the health system reform law. Not only is it becoming more feasible for health care organizations to adopt telehealth technologies, but it's also becoming an attractive way to address many issues plaguing the health care industry.

That is the view of a paper published by the technology company CSC, which examined health system reform efforts in the U.S. and abroad in which telemedicine played a crucial role. Authors of the report used those experiences to develop recommendations for health care organizations interested in launching telemedicine solutions (link).

A good place for organizations to start is figuring out what problems they want to solve, said Fran Turisco, research principal for the Global Institute for Emerging Healthcare Practices for CSC and author of the report.

There might be more patients to see than time will allow. There are many models of remote visits that could be examined. Or, say, chronic disease patients are putting off making appointments until they are sick enough to be hospitalized. Home monitoring solutions could be explored.

The report notes several opportunities that might exist for those not ready, or unable, to implement telemedicine solutions on their own. It also notes that partnerships among medical groups, physician offices and hospital groups that refer patients to one another could save the health care system money by expediting the coordination of care and referral process.

A real-time consult between physicians "collapses the timeline" for care coordination, Turisco said. Reducing the time it takes to get patients to a specialist could lower the risk of complications that could lead to hospitalization.

Talking with health plans also could open up opportunities for health care organizations. Several health plans have launched, or have announced plans for, telehealth programs. Some are aimed at specific at-risk populations such as the elderly or patients with chronic diseases.

Partnerships among payers, physicians, hospital groups and telehealth networks are expected to grow as accountable care organizations develop across the country. The government's proposed ACO regulations emphasize patient-centeredness, coordination of care and cost savings "as through the use of telehealth, remote patient monitoring and other such enabling technologies."

Other reports show that most patients are open to using telehealth solutions.

Euro RSCG Tonic, the New York-based consumer health and wellness arm of the marketing and communications firm Euro RSCG, conducted an Internet survey of 1,000 adults in mid-November 2010 and found that nearly half are receptive to virtual visits to save time and money, and 78% would be willing to try them.