The 2015 Telemedicine Report - Freelance MD

2015 Telemedicine Report from Freelance MD

The 2015 Telemedicie Report: This report provides an overview of the current sentiment and opinion of telemedicine from the point of view of tens of thousands of clinicians and health care administrators all around the world. This report provides insights into providers’ opinions and the current level of opportunity for telemedicine to have an impact on the delivery of health care.

The Story: Telemedicine is in its infancy but poised to gain wider acceptance and usage as health care providers and markets realize its potential to both scale delivery of services and cut costs (efficiency) and drive greater revenue by removing friction from provider-patient interactions (scalability).

The current view of telemedicine is just beginning to become a topic of mainstream discussions and excitement is growing along with expectations.

There are indications that this is beginning to happen as insurance companies and others see this as a way to provide high-value services at a more reasonable cost while keeping patients healthy and without the need for more expensive intervention treatments. For example, Arches Health Plan recently announced that it will reimburse providers for home-based telemedicine interactions. As this becomes more commonplace the few remaining impediments to adoption will be removed and telemedicine will begin to ramp from the realm of innovators and early adopters and towards the majority of providers.

Market Opportunities

As with all emerging technologies telemedicine is going to disrupt some traditional models and put others out of business. Telemedicine is inherently more efficient, more predictable, and less costly than any current delivery of care. While it cannot replace actual interventional or hands-on care, it solves entire categories of wasteful informational visits and begins to provide a platform where every provider and patient has access to the very best information and care. Early adopters are already realizing this in as evidenced by adoption trends being more pronounced in cosmetic and concierge medicine (direct pay) than family and general practice (third party payer). Those providers who get out ahead of this macro-economic trend be best situated to capitalize on what will inevitably be a commercial marketplace with both winners and losers driven by the availability of big data and consumer choice.

Download the free report above and check out our other free reports for physicians.

Survey: What Do You Think About Telemedicine?

Take our 2 minute survey and share your thoughts and opinions about the future (or lack thereof) of telemedicine!

Telemedicine is gaining at least a toe-hold in health care at both ends of the health care spectrum. For some large hospital groups and insurers it offers an ability to scale with significant cost savings, and on the other end individual physicians like those in concierge practices are using telemedicine to stay in touch with patients and offer services on-demand.

We're asking you for a few minutes of your time to take this survey an answer a couple of simple questions to see what providers are thinking about telemedicine.

We'll aggregate the answers and create a report outlining the sentiment of physicians and other providers around telemedicine.

Here's a direct link to share with your networks: https://storyteller.typeform.com/to/CFMq33

TruClinc - A telemedicine platform that is gaining acceptance with providers.

Telemedicine is finally getting off of the ground with TruClinic.

Very different from the doc-in-a-box model of other telemedicine players, TruClinic is the first truly embedded technology that closely fits how providers already work.

TruClinic has been built into a full telemedicine platform with a knack for tackling hard integrations, bottom-up user growth, and jaw-dropping uses. TruClinic’s cloud-based portal gives providders and patients access to each other from anywhere. All they need is a computing device, Internet connection, and a webcam, smart phone or tablet. From remotely wiring every home on the Goshute Reservation to facilitating interactions between a mother and her newborn child in an ICU to hosting surgical followup appointments, the uses of an always on, instantly connected telemedicine platform are only starting to be realized.

TruClinic is already being used actively by both small individual physician clinics, and larger hospital and clinic chains like the University of Utah Health Care that serves 5 surroundings states in a referral area encompassing more than 10 percent of the continental US and where TruClinc helps the U to reach their clients better, particularly in fields that mostly require communication, like mental health or post-surgery follow-up.

The University of Utah Health Care System is a thought leader in telemedicine. Here's a video:

You can request a demo of TruClinic here.

One of the places that this is likely to be addopted first by individual physicians is around concierge or cosmetic medicine, where a very high-touch interaction at a distance can really have an effect on an ability to scale and interact with more patients in the same amount of time.

Is Telemedicine A Perfect Solution?

Telemedicine has been the subject of many recent discussions between me and this guest author, Murdoc Khaleghi, MD, MBA, FACEP, FAAEM.

Keeping up with the healthcare trends is essential, whether you are practicing clinically or in a non-clinical job because those trends determine tomorrow’s opportunities.  The Supreme Court decision regarding the Affordable Care Act set certain wheels in motion regarding future mandates and legislation.  However, we would argue that the US health system is in the midst of innovation and change regardless of the judicial system.   Some of the problem like rising costs, older, sicker people and consumerism are independent of any federal legislation.

Technology solutions aim to solve some of those problems and have been written about on this site.   Jeff Barson discussed how medical outsourcing is becoming standard practice for certain specialties (http://freelancemd.com/blog/2010/12/6/physician-outsourcing-technology-will-flatten-the-medical-wo.html).  Arlen Meyers wrote about different interface technologies that are intended for non-medical use but have potential medical or healthcare applications or value (http://freelancemd.com/blog/2010/12/12/working-on-the-edge.html)

Telemedicine or telehealth appears to be one of the fastest growing areas of health care.  Physicians like the flexibility of when and how much they work, without the tie to the office.   Not having to work in an office also reduces overhead significantly, while allowing physicians to work from anywhere.  It seems telemedicine may be another tool for the doctors who are looking for help improving and expanding their practices or exploring a non-traditional medical area.   One doctor had this to say,

“I can consult from the comfort of my deck, or easily schedule exercise and breaks into my day.  I am even planning a few consults per day at a vacation home.   There are no refills to sign for, no urgent care calls in the middle of the night.”

Obviously, telemedicine does not take care of all medical issues, such as those that require procedures or immediate interventions, but for preventative care and low-acuity complaints, telemedicine can be an effective form of healthcare delivery.  For example, telemedicine can take advantage of many internet-based features.  Health information, diagnostic tests, consultations, and recommendations can all be performed or shared with providers and patients via the cloud.  A recent article published online on June 22 in the British Medical Journal reported that for patients with long term conditions, telehealth can reduce 12-month mortality by nearly half.  Other benefits included reduced hospital stay and mean number of emergency admissions.

WellnessFX and ISelectMD are two telemedicine companies that seem to be doing something unique and innovative.  WellnessFX has a focus on preventive medicine but hires doctors of all specialties.  Companies like Teledoc, American Well and Ring-A-Doc also continue to bring new and useful products and services to market.  These companies all hire doctors as consultants to do work on a part time or piece meal basis.   Some doctors want to launch concierge medicine services and others want to bring in more clients and offer service outside of traditional working hours. 

As physicians, we are always interested in patient outcomes and patient satisfaction. Many patients like telehealth because it allows for more flexibility in scheduling appointments and they can avoid time in waiting rooms.  Going back to recent health reform trends, with more regulation and legislation, patient satisfaction scores are becoming more important as a reflection of overall quality of care.  Interestingly, telehealth seems to be meeting patients’ needs.  From these actual notes, it seems apparent to us that telehealth not only meets patient needs but also can contribute to coordination of care. 

"WellnessFX saved my life. Without it, I would have struggled through more specialists, different drug treatments, and continued fatigue and ill health. Now, I'm in control to optimize my health."

"I would like to take the time to thank ISelect MD for helping me over the weekend. I tried several times to reach my doctor over the weekend who did not return my call. I called ISelect MD and within 10 minutes I received a call from one of your doctors.

He asked me a variety of questions relating to my issue and knew all about the problem. He spent a great deal of time on the phone with me….and directed me to a specialist who I now have an appointment with.  I was surprised by the concern that the ISelect MD people have for me. Since the initial call, I have been contacted by the doctor and the staff at ISelect MD three times for follow up.  This has been the best experience I have ever had concerning my medical needs."

What do you think of telemedicine?  Is this a solution to some of the problems in healthcare?

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