While some consumers have expressed enthusiasm about telemedicine and private payers and CMS have displayed increasing interest in it, just 19 percent of healthcare practitioners said they have a system in place to get paid for telemedicine services, according to a recent survey. However, 33 percent of physicians surveyed are currently delivering services using telemedicine.
The survey was conducted in October at the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine conference in San Diego among 754 providers, 78 percent of whom were physicians. Further findings from the survey are listed below.
- Fifty-six percent of respondents said telemedicine technology is ahead of the current state medical board guidelines.
- However, 67 percent of healthcare professionals surveyed are either using telemedicine to provide services now or plan to in the next few years.
- An additional 38 percent of respondents said they are offering care through the phone, video visits or web cam visits, while 29 percent said they plan on doing so in the next few years.
- Sixty-eight percent of providers think telemedicine isn't appropriate for a first visit, but think it is better-suited for follow-up appointments.