The Promise of Telemedicine to Reduce Health Inequities

Healthcare has been undergoing a process of consumerization, including moving into different settings, thus improving accessibility and equity. Hospitals are becoming more ancillary, while ambulatory centers, urgent care centers, minute clinics, and mobile care are increasingly part of the mix.

While access and convenience are critical, to be sustainable, telemedicine has to deliver good care and be cost-effective. It needs to fulfill the needs of all stakeholders: patients, payers, and healthcare providers.

Telemedicine can also help lower administrative costs, an area in which US spending is almost triple that of comparable countries, by moving administrative tasks (i.e. collection and processing of insurance details, prior-authorisation forms, co-pays) to online or mobile applications.