{"id":16527,"date":"2016-02-12T06:57:15","date_gmt":"2016-02-12T13:57:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.accessrx.com\/blog\/?p=16527"},"modified":"2016-02-12T06:57:15","modified_gmt":"2016-02-12T13:57:15","slug":"6-trends-in-telemedicine-to-watch-for-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/current-health-news\/6-trends-in-telemedicine-to-watch-for-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Trends in Telemedicine to Watch for 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Telemedicine\"
If you haven’t yet encountered telemedicine, you very well could in 2016.<\/figcaption><\/figure> Telemedicine is proving itself to be a valuable component of healthcare delivery, and its role is only expected to grow in 2016.<\/p>\n

The estimated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the global telemedicine market is expected to remain at an impressive 14.3% through the year 2020<\/a>. By that time, the global telemedicine market is expected to be worth over $36 billion, compared to just over $14 billion in 2014. Convenience and innovation are two main factors in the expansion of telemedicine, but other outside forces are coming together to spur telemedicine growth as well. The technology is promising enough that it’s prompting legislative and judicial actions and generally emerging as a potentially positive disruption in the healthcare industry. Here are 6 telemedicine trends to keep an eye on in 2016.<\/p>\n

1. The Emergence of Licensing Compacts<\/b><\/p>\n

One of the biggest barriers to the expansion of telemedicine in the United States is the fact that physicians are licensed by states, and the legal status of practicing telemedicine across state lines is problematic. However, several entities are working to address this issue so that physicians can expand their licensure in multiple states at a more reasonable cost, and with fewer headaches than used to be involved.<\/p>\n

The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) launched an interstate physician licensure compact last year similar to the one used by nurses. The way that compact works is that a nurse who declares a compact state as his or her primary state of residence can practice in other compact states without having to obtain an additional license. Right now there are 25 states that are members of the nurse licensing compact.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing has drafted a compact for advanced practice nurses<\/a>, such as nurse practitioners. It too generally follows the nurse licensure compact in that one license would allow nurse practitioners to practice in multiple states. It also includes procedures for criminal background checks in the initial licensure process.<\/p>\n

2. Telemedicine Accreditation Enters the Conversation<\/b><\/p>\n

The issue of accreditation hasn’t been prominent in the telemedicine conversation over the past few years, but that could change in 2016. The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) launched an accreditation program for organizations that provide real-time online healthcare services. Organizations that may avail themselves to ATA accreditation are expected to include ones like employer-provided online real-time telemedicine services. The ATA also provides a list of features<\/a> that consumers should look for when evaluating online care providers, such as access to credentials, strong security policies, choice of providers for non-emergency care and the ability to register feedback and complaints.<\/p>\n

The URAC (originally the Utilization Review Accreditation Commission) created a telemedicine accreditation program<\/a> for telemedicine providers that consult with facilities, consumers and other healthcare providers using video teleconferencing. The standards for URAC’s accreditation program were developed with the input of hospitals, health insurers, academic medical centers, and telemedicine companies.<\/p>\n

3. More Medicare Advantage Attention to Telemedicine<\/b><\/p>\n

Medicare itself has been cautious in expanding access to telemedicine even though it has been offering (very circumscribed) telemedicine services for decades. However, Medicare Advantage programs are embracing telemedicine more enthusiastically, perhaps because some of these insurers have had good experiences with telemedicine as part of their non-Medicare health plans.<\/p>\n

In 2016, Humana will expand telemedicine in its Medicare Advantage plans in 12 states<\/a>: West Virginia, Washington, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Missouri, Michigan, Kentucky, Kansas, Indiana, Illinois and Arizona. Anthem already offers telemedicine services through its Medicare Advantage plans, and Cigna is considering doing so.<\/p>\n

Part of Medicare’s reluctance to implement more telemedicine services is a fear on the part of some national legislators that telemedicine will be “too convenient” and will lead to over-utilization. However, studies of telemedicine services have shown this not to be the case, and have shown that telemedicine reduces care costs for both patient and provider without compromising care outcomes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

4. Telemedicine as a Commodity Becomes a Possibility<\/b><\/p>\n

Some telemedicine providers are going beyond the goals of “convenient and affordable” and are developing products that make telemedicine into more of a commodity. For example, DocChat, a New York-based telemedicine provider, offers telemedicine gift certificates that can be purchased for one, several, or a year’s subscription to telemedicine visits. These gift certificates can be purchased anywhere in the US and emailed to anyone, whether or not the recipient has health insurance. The only stipulation is that the recipient’s home state must be one that allows telemedicine. Most states do, but a few states, like Texas and Alabama, have stringent clinical practice rules<\/a> that limit telemedicine usage.<\/p>\n

5. Home Telemonitoring Expands<\/b><\/p>\n

While most ordinary consumer interaction with telemedicine is expected to be for minor complaints like children’s ear infections or conjunctivitis, telemedicine also shows tremendous promise in monitoring of chronic health conditions<\/a>. This type of telemedicine uses advanced technology to monitor patients and help patients learn about their condition. Clinicians can intervene quickly if data gathered by telemedicine monitoring systems indicates a problem.<\/p>\n

Home telemonitoring has shown particular promise in helping patients with congestive heart failure, reducing hospital admissions and trips to emergency departments, saving providers, insurers, and patients money in the long run. An expected long-term outcome to this trend is the rise of the “expert patient” who is better equipped to manage his or her long-term medical conditions, and another trend is the increasing use of mobile devices like tablets as the primary communication channels between patients monitoring chronic conditions and their healthcare providers.<\/p>\n

\"Telemedicine\"
Home telemonitoring is proving to be effective and preferable for many patients with chronic conditions.<\/figcaption><\/figure> 6. State Governments Continue Telemedicine Legislation Momentum<\/b><\/p>\n

Legislation concerning telemedicine gained traction in 2014 and 2015, and that is expected to continue through 2016. The fact that 2016 is also a presidential election year may help bring telemedicine issues to the forefront as well. During 2015 legislative sessions, more than 200 pieces of telemedicine legislation were introduced, representing 42 states<\/a>. Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws that require health insurance to cover telemedicine services. Expect this number to increase in 2016.<\/p>\n

While states are leading the way in incorporating telemedicine into the health care system, you can expect to see action on the national level as well, as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) looks for ways to add telemedicine services in measured steps.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/b><\/p>\n

Telemedicine is becoming an important component in the national healthcare conversation and is growing at a rapid pace. The legislative and regulatory milieu surrounding telemedicine is adapting to this new technological reality as more consumers, healthcare officials, and businesses realize that there’s really no stopping it. Telemedicine saves consumers money and saves costs on the part of providers, and in general patients are pleased with telemedicine services.<\/p>\n

eDrugstore.com<\/a> invites you to explore the topic of telemedicine on our blog<\/a> and learn more about how this exciting technology will be shaping lives in 2016 and beyond. \"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Telemedicine is proving itself to be a valuable component of healthcare delivery, and its role is only expected to grow in 2016. The estimated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the global telemedicine market is expected to remain at an impressive 14.3% through the year 2020. By that time, the global telemedicine market is expected […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16529,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_autoblog_aioseo_focus_keyphrase":"","_autoblog_aioseo_title":"","_autoblog_aioseo_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[189],"class_list":["post-16527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-health-news","tag-telemedicine"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t