For all of the strides that have been made regarding coverage, both public and private, and available technology, telemedicine
continues to be a fringe option for healthcare consumers. Many
questions and concerns still linger regarding cost, effectiveness, safety and reimbursement, among other issues.
"On a maturity scale from 1-10, telemedicine is at a three," John Jesser, vice president of provider engagement strategy for
Anthem's LiveHealth Online service, tells FierceHealthIT.
"Those of us in the health business talk about it, know about it, feel
like it's much more ubiquitous. But really, out there among the
average American consumer, I'd say that seven out of 10 people probably
still don't know that this is even possible."
Still, he says, that doesn't mean that the future isn't bright.
"The
good news is that the arrows are all moving in the right direction for
growth," Jesser says. "Five years from now, it
won't even be called telemedicine, it'll just be healthcare. Doctors'
offices will be Web-enabled, mobile-enabled. That progress is going to
continue to happen."
In this special report, Jesser and Judd Hollander, associate dean for strategic health initiatives at the Sidney Kimmel Medical
College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, discuss with FierceHealthIT how each of their organizations is working to improve care access for patients via telemedicine. They talk about
the hurdles they currently face, and share their thoughts on the state of the industry at large.
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