ARTICLE
15 November 2017

Three Years Later, Foley Survey Reveals Positive Prognosis For Telemedicine

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Foley & Lardner

Contributor

Foley & Lardner LLP looks beyond the law to focus on the constantly evolving demands facing our clients and their industries. With over 1,100 lawyers in 24 offices across the United States, Mexico, Europe and Asia, Foley approaches client service by first understanding our clients’ priorities, objectives and challenges. We work hard to understand our clients’ issues and forge long-term relationships with them to help achieve successful outcomes and solve their legal issues through practical business advice and cutting-edge legal insight. Our clients view us as trusted business advisors because we understand that great legal service is only valuable if it is relevant, practical and beneficial to their businesses.
When we launched Foley's inaugural Telemedicine and Digital Health Survey in 2014, it was apparent that health care executives weren't ready to make telemedicine ...
United States Food, Drugs, Healthcare, Life Sciences

When we launched Foley's inaugural Telemedicine and Digital Health Survey in 2014, it was apparent that health care executives weren't ready to make telemedicine a significant focus of their business and patient strategies. The interest was there but, despite tremendous technological breakthroughs and imaginative applications, most telemedicine programs were in the early stages and there was little acceptance by the broader health care community.

Fast forward to present time and the industry outlook has changed dramatically, due in large part to proven patient outcomes and surging demand among providers looking to improve the quality of care in a more convenient, cost-effective manner.

According to our 2017 survey, where we queried a range of executives at hospitals, specialty clinics, ancillary services and related organizations, three-quarters of respondents currently offer, or are planning to provide, telemedicine services. Now, compare that to three years ago when nearly 87 percent didn't expect their patients to be using telemedicine services by this time – that's quite a turnaround.

Beyond adoption, providers reported strong satisfaction with the telemedicine platforms they were using; over half of the organizations that track return on investment reported savings of 10 percent or more. And, a third of respondents said 50 percent or more of patients continued to use telemedicine after an initial visit, demonstrating growing patient satisfaction with the service.

The deluge of telemedicine programs entering the mature and implementation phases doesn't come without complications, however. Providers are already looking to expand their telemedicine programs overseas, where they'll encounter unfamiliar governance in foreign jurisdictions. Furthermore, there's still more work to be done here in the United States, where the Food and Drug Administration needs to weigh in on new software and other digital health technologies, and state and federal governments must reduce regulatory ambiguities and barriers.

These complex issues can and should be considered great opportunities for the health care industry's major players. Those that are able to navigate new and existing laws and regulations will better positioned to take advantage of the rapid advancements in technology which, in turn, will enable them to provide innovative care for patients in new markets around the block and around the world.

To read more about these key themes and others that emerged in our research, please visit http://bit.ly/Foley-Telemedicine-Survey.

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