Are you preparing to deploy telemedicine at your medical practice? Are you bombarded with several mind-boggling questions about its viability for your organization? Here are five common questions regarding telemedicine answered.

Telemedicine is becoming an integral component of the modern healthcare landscape. The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated its growth prospects, bringing it to the forefront of healthcare during the public health crisis. With large segments of the society unable or unwilling to leave their homes, and with the social distancing directives strictly in place, telemedicine has evolved as the go-to solution for many patients and providers alike.

Are you preparing to deploy telemedicine at your medical practice? Are you bombarded with several mind-boggling questions about its viability for your organization? Here are five common questions regarding telemedicine answered.

Is there a demand for telemedicine?

Telemedicine has been around for quite some while. However, it only realized its true potential during the COVID-19 pandemic, witnessing a soaring use by the patients and providers alike. During the early phase of the pandemic, as many as 71% of American patients considered telemedicine while half of them had already gone through with a virtual appointment. Patient adoption of telemedicine at the beginning of 2020 was up 33 percent over the previous year. Also, funding for telemedicine is on a boom, expected to reach $185.6 billion by 2026[1].

Interestingly, telemedicine is here to stay even post-pandemic. Eighty-three percent of the patients plan to use telemedicine even after the pandemic resolves. Hence, yes, there is a strong demand for telemedicine.

What are the technology systems needed to implement telemedicine?

The following are the must-have technology systems to implement telemedicine at your practice:

• A fast, stable, and reliable internet connection
• Audio and video conferencing facilities, such as a smartphone, tablet, or a computer, with a camera and microphone
• Secure messaging
• Electronic Health Record (EHR)
• Integrated appointment scheduling system
• Electronic prescribing mechanism
• Image and document upload and storage facilities
• Online payment and billing system

What are the benefits of telemedicine for healthcare providers?

Healthcare providers can reap a plethora of benefits by implementing telemedicine at their medical practice:

• Flexible appointment scheduling – Providers can offer appointments outside of regular office hours to accommodate urgent cases as well as busy schedules of the patients.
• Increased revenues – Telemedicine increases the billable time for the providers, hence adding additional revenue streams for the practice.
• Lesser cancellations and no-shows – As televisits can be conducted from almost anywhere and anytime, there are fewer no-shows and cancellations.
• Patient satisfaction – With the ease of access and convenience of televisits, patients enjoy higher satisfaction levels and hence, improved loyalty with the providers.
• Increased employee engagement – Happier patients translate into lesser administrative stress and, therefore, happy and healthy employees. Engaged employees are more productive and tend to add more value to your practice.

What laws govern telemedicine?

Currently, there are very few federal laws that specifically govern telemedicine. However, state-level laws are being enacted to regulate the new form of healthcare. Although telemedicine doesn’t have any geographical boundaries, each state does. Therefore, every state has a different set of laws that governs telemedicine therein. So, you must comply with the laws of the state that your patients are based in, regardless of your physical setting.

What about reimbursements?

Most forms of telehealth are reimbursable. But again, they are subject to state laws. Private insurers are more likely to reimburse telehealth appointments since they acknowledge the amount of value telemedicine adds and the cost-cuts it offers. Under Medicare, only those videoconferencing consultation services are reimbursed that are not already provided by the program. However, for Medicaid, every state has at least some form of legislation covering telemedicine reimbursement (except for Massachusetts and Rhode Island).