More Vendors, Providers Integrating Telemedicine Data With EHRs

One of the biggest problems providers face in rolling out telemedicine is how to integrate the data it generates. Must doctors make some kind of alternate set of notes appropriate to the medium, or do they belong in the EHR? Should healthcare organizations import the video and notate the general contents? And how should they connect the data with their EHR? While we may not have definitive answers to such questions yet, it appears that the telehealth industry is moving in the right direction. According to a new survey by the American Telemedicine Association, respondents said that they’re seeing growth in interoperability with EHRs, progress which has increased their confidence in telemedicine’s future. Before going any further, I should note that the surveyed population is a bit odd. The ATA reached out not only to leaders in hospital systems and medical practices, but also “telehealth service providers,” which sounds like merely an opportunity for self-promotion. But leaving aside this issue, it’s still worth thinking a bit about the data, such as it is. First, not surprisingly, the results are a ringing endorsement of telemedicine technology. The group reports that 83 percent of respondents said they’ll probably invest in telehealth this year, and 88 percent will invest in telehealth-related technology. When asked why they’re interested in delivering these services, 98 percent said that they believe telehealth services offer a competitive advantage over those...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - Category: Information Technology Authors: Tags: Digital Health EHR Electronic Health Record Electronic Medical Record EMR Healthcare HealthCare IT Telemedicine American Well Avizia DoctoronDemand Modern Healthcare Telehealth Telehealth Data Integration Telehealth EHR Integra Source Type: blogs