Telemedicine Is Expected to Continue Expanding in 2017
Improvements in telecommunications have enabled the recent rise of telemedicine, which is enabling users to access a surprising range of healthcare in a more convenient manner than otherwise possible. As a result, it shows no signs of slowing down for the foreseeable future.
Here are three of the reasons that telemedicine is expected to become a bigger and bigger part of the healthcare sector in 2017:
Rising Consumer Demand
There is enormous interest in telemedicine, which in turn, means plenty of opportunities for telemedicine providers. In part, this is because of consumers who want their healthcare in as convenient a manner as possible. However, it should also be noted that there are other entities out there that like telemedicine because it can provide a partial offset for the ever-rising costs of healthcare on a systematic basis.
Increasing Need For Cost Management
At the moment, it seems probable that the Affordable Healthcare Act will see changes that will result in more uninsured consumers as well as more consumers on health insurance policies with higher deductibles. As a result, it seems probable that consumers will have to put more care and consideration into managing the costs of their healthcare, which is likely to result in the increasing use of telemedicine.
After all, telemedicine can help said individuals get preventative care with minimal disruption to their normal routines, thus reducing their healthcare costs in the long run through two ways. First, prevention is always cheaper than treatment, and second, the sooner that a potential issue is detected, the cheaper it will be to treat.
MACRA
In October of 2016, legislation called MACRA was passed that will provide new opportunities for tech-based innovation in the healthcare system, with telemedicine being an excellent example of such innovations.
Further Considerations
These trends suggest that it is probable that telemedicine will continue to rise in 2017, but their exact impact will remain unpredictable for now. As a result, interested individuals should keep a watchful eye on the matter as it continues to develop.