Fierce Healthcare September 12, 2019
Hospitals and health systems are ramping up investments in telehealth programs, and they’re doing so for diverse reasons—to extend services to patients in rural areas, to provide better follow-up care for patients with complex conditions and to cut down on unneeded in-person visits.
Eight-five percent of hospitals and health systems have adopted telehealth, up from 54% in 2014, according to a Definitive Healthcare report. And, among hospitals looking to invest in telehealth services, 90% plan to do so in the next 18 months.
Telehealth programs require upfront investments in technology, program design and staffing. While payers, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, are increasingly expanding coverage for telehealth services, receiving reimbursement across all payers at a level commensurate...