Is your organization thinking about jumping aboard the telehealth/telemedicine train? Or have you taken steps already to establish a telehealth service? If you answered “yes” to either of these questions, you are not alone. A recent survey of healthcare executives found that 83% of respondents are planning to invest in some sort of telehealth services or are very likely to do so.

The 2017 Telemedicine Executive Leadership Survey from the American Telemedicine Association included input from 171 healthcare executives from telehealth service providers, healthcare practices and hospital systems. By an overwhelming margin—98%—the respondents said their reason for implementing a telehealth solution was for competitive advantage over their competitors. They also cited increasing consumer demand for telehealth services over the next three years as a driver for telehealth efforts.

Additional data from the survey included:

• Common barriers to implementation of telehealth services seen by respondents were reimbursement (71%) and licensure (53%).
•  A little over one-third of respondents (36%) saw lack of evidence showing improved quality or increased ROI from telehealth efforts as a barrier to implementation. 
• Almost half of the respondents named resistance to change as a barrier.

“This executive leadership survey confirms undeniably today’s leaders view telemedicine as a major driver in transforming healthcare,” said Jonathan Linkous, CEO, American Telemedicine Association. “It comes as no surprise that 98% of survey respondents believe telehealth services create a competitive advantage, and I anticipate tremendous growth in the market as we continue to move toward more patient-centered solutions.”