TTA Archives 2005-2012

Telecare Aware readers will not be surprised that telemedicine is the least developed of our three ‘teles’.  A new IDC Health Insights consumer study found in their sample that hardly anyone has used videoconferencing as part of their healthcare–4.6%–and of that 3.5% were 35 or younger.  The big holdup is the usual–reimbursement.  Only 11 US states mandate that health plans cover telemedicine (VA, CA, TX and others).  Yet the players are large:  Polycom, Cisco/Tandberg, and under evaluation by Dell.  Some opportunities:  smartphones (9.7% more likely to use for appointment reminders), those already using remote patient monitoring would buy health devices from their cable or telephone company (44%).  Information Week article. IDC Health Insights: Monetizing Telemedicine: Vendors, Service Providers, and Payers Opportunities — Report 1: Describing the Telemedicine Landscape in the United States (registration required, and it’s yours for $5,500).