Doctors are on Board with the New Telehealth Wave

American Well and QuantiaMD administered the "Telehealth Index: 2015 Physician Survey" to more than 2,000 physicians, and found that 57% of doctors are willing to meet with their patients via video. Telehealth providers like American Well are pushing to qualify the video-based doctor's visit as comparable to an in-person visit. According to the survey, physicians believe that video visits will improve their workflow and increase their income. 80% of the respondents claimed that "flexible work-life schedule" is their primary reason for wanting video visits. Furthermore, 90% of doctors believe that telemedicine is a good platform for delivering concierge services to fee-paying patients. Other suggested usages of telemedicine were medication management, home healthcare, minor urgent care, birth control counseling, and chronic condition management.

Some state medical boards are considering policies that would allow physicians to conduct their first visit with new patients via telemedicine. Moreover, The American Medical Association is drafting a code of ethics that identifies the pros and cons of telemedicine.

Written by Caroline Smith

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Caroline Smith is currently a senior at the University of Notre Dame and is a contributor to Medical Groups. She is majoring in Science-Business and Spanish. After graduation, Caroline plans on entering the field of healthcare consulting. She is most interested in the evolving policy changes in the healthcare industry and enjoys learning about new technologies that are being developed.