Videoconferencing With Patients Can Now Boost Your Bottom Line

Published: 07 August 2013

From Medscape Today News...

Article Excerpt: Can You Really Make Money With Telehealth? A growing number of insurers either already offer or soon plan to offer their members the option of seeing a doctor immediately via online videoconference or waiting for an office visit. In fact, many states now insist that physicians be reimbursed for video visits with patients the same as for office visits, and doctors can supplement their office hours at any times that are convenient for them.

Link to the full news story here.

InterpretAmerica's take: Telehealth is not a new technology, nor is video medical interpreting. Both technologies and services have been available as important but minor options for healthcare provision. Now it seems we may be hitting a tipping point for telemedicine. Major impetus for broader adoption will surely result from the now 20 states mandating insurance coverage for telehealth services, and 10 additional states with bills in the legislature. This article reflects the growing and undeniable trend towards providing remote health services, something once used primarily for rural and hard-to-reach patients. As face-to-face doctor visits decline and patient care models evolve, language access models must as well, or we face losing much of the hard-fought-for progress achieved in ensuring the use of quality interpreting services in healthcare settings.