As we look forward to 2016, here are the top 5 reasons to start a telehealth program next year:
- Lower readmission rates – Telehealth is already playing a vital role in hospitals’ efforts to reduce unnecessary (and costly) readmissions.
- It’s a financial winner for health systems of all sizes. It’s easy to find fiscal rationales for just about any type of telehealth program. Here’s a detailed analysis of the financial advantages of an acute care telehealth program.
- Telehealth offers a competitive advantage. The market intelligence firm Open Minds recently published a report showing how health systems that offer telehealth services can gain a competitive edge over rivals that don’t.
- Tax advantages – Some not-for-profit health systems are already using Community Health Needs Assessments to redefine “community” to include remote care, thus protecting their tax-exempt status. It’s completely in line with the interoperable health IT ecosystem envisioned by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
- Telehealth has unstoppable momentum. One by one, the barriers to telehealth are being lifted. Just before Thanksgiving, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners adopted model state legislation allowing telehealth to be used to meet adequacy standards for health plans’ provider networks. Next year, many states will enact the model legislation – and it paves the way for more states to join the 29 that have already passed telehealth parity laws.
Every health system has competing demands on its financial and clinical resources. But it’s hard to ignore these five compelling reasons to start a telehealth program without delay.
The post Top 5 Reasons to Start a Telehealth Program in 2016 appeared first on InTouch Health.
