Sep 26 2013
Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Telemedicine: The Future is Now for Moving Telemedicine into Mainstream Treatment" report to their offering.
Telemedicine is a creation of the 20th century. First used primarily for military and space applications, it has been becoming more widespread in use in recent years. There are three main types of telemedicine applications: store-and-forward, remote monitoring and interactive services.
Interest in telemedicine is growing globally, particularly in the fields of teleradiology, telepathology and teledermatology. Globally, cost is seen as the major barrier to telemedicine programs. In the US, telemedicine has been promoted as a way to serve rural populations, but in the next few years it is expected to spread to a much wider patient base.
A number of key challenges still need to be addressed for the use of telemedicine to become more widespread in the US. Licensing and reimbursement remain major hurdles to physician participation in telemedicine.
These challenges are being addressed at the state level, with an increasing number of state legislatures taking up the issues. There is also federal legislation being looked at by Congress. Issues of FDA Regulation and possible issues of taxation also need to be clarified to help promote wider use of telemedicine.
The report, Telemedicine - The Future is Now for Moving Telemedicine into Mainstream Treatment was written to support both the biopharmaceutical and health care industries in understanding the use of telemedicine and preparing for the expected growth it will see in the coming years.