More facilities looking to telehealth for improving care

Patient Safety Monitor Alert

September 16, 2009

Once a novelty that few hospitals utilized, telemedicine is now becoming more common, reports The Baltimore Sun. A combination of the looming physician shortage, insurers' acceptance of the treatment and willingness to pay for it, and improved quality of care have pushed telehealth into the spotlight as a method for patient care. Telehealth (another term for telemedicine) also can provide care for more rural patients who otherwise would have had to travel long distances to be seen by a doctor.

Not all states' insurers cover telehealth, however, and using it requires significant investment in technology. Additionally, most physicians are unable to prescribe medications using telehealth because of licensing and safety issues.