While the healthcare industry largely recognizes the promise and benefits of telemedicine, the services' widespread adoption is stifled by regulatory barriers. However, a recent string of legislative action may be the spurring factor to allow telemedicine to become a solidified piece of the healthcare landscape.
A regulatory spotlight from PricewaterhouseCoopers outlines some of the government actions that support the proliferation of telemedicine, such as expanding Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services in October 2014 and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's $8.6 million in telehealth grants in November 2014. Additionally, individual states are passing parity laws, requiring private payers to cover telehealth services.
"This government infusion of payments and regulatory changes support new entrants and traditional players poised to grow the U.S. telehealth industry, which varying estimates value as high as $10 billion," according to the brief.
More articles on telemedicine:
Mayo Clinic study: Telemedicine slows stroke assessment time
Washington state introduces bill to reimburse patients for telemedicine services
Telemedicine helps revive rural Arizona hospital