HIMSS Analytics has released its 2015 Telemedicine Study, which indicates telemedicine adoption has risen approximately 3 percentage points since 2014.
The study collected responses from approximately 270 hospital executives and IT professionals.
Here are six key findings from the study.
1. From 2014 to 2015, the rate of telemedicine adoption grew slightly from 54.5 percent to 57.7 percent. Brendan FitzGerald, research director at HIMSS Analytics, told iHealthBeat that much of the increase is due to providers seeking ways to fill gaps in care. "There was a somewhat sizeable uptick in organizations wanting the ability to offer care services that they don't necessarily have, such as being able to offer specialty services."
2. The majority of providers (70 percent) utilize a two-way videoconferencing system.
3. There are four main types of telemedicine delivery models: concierge services, hub-and-spoke delivery, patient portals and remote patient monitoring.
4. Of these four delivery models, the most commonly used one is the hub-and-spoke model, with 57 percent of providers using it.
5. Approximately 23 percent of providers use two of these delivery models while just 3 percent said they use all four.
6. The number of telemedicine vendors has risen from 69 in 2014 to 85 in 2015, Mr. FitzGerald said.
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