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SEPT. 18, 2017 – Thanks to telemedicine, a surge of medical professionals are effectively delivering health care to patients over long distances. Physicians are saving patients time and money by substituting an in-office visit with a virtual encounter via phone, tablet, or computer for common ailments. Hospitals are staffing “command centers” with specialty care teams who are responsible for monitoring sick patients in short-staffed rural intensive care units (ICUs). More than 50 percent of hospitals are now caring for patients through various telemedicine initiatives and a majority of surveyed physicians are willing to incorporate it within their standard of care. Yet others remain hesitant to adopt telemedicine because certain services may not be reimbursed by private insurance carriers and government payers.
