Widespread Telemedicine Adoption Blocked by Training, Payment Barriers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, Jan. 15, 2016

Contact:
Leslie Champlin
Senior Public Relations Strategist
(800) 274-2237, Ext. 5224
lchampli@aafp.org

WASHINGTON, DC — Lack of training and inadequate payment pose the greatest barriers to physicians’ use of telemedicine, despite overwhelming agreement that the technology improves access to care and continuity of care, according to research in the Jan. 15 issue of American Family Physician.

The research, “Only 15 percent of FPs Report Using Telehealth; Training and Lack of Reimbursement are Top Barriers,” reported that nearly 8 in 10 family physicians think telehealth provides greater patient access to care and nearly 7 in 10 agree the technology improves continuity of care. However, few reported using telemedicine in the past 12 months.

Why? “More than one-half of FPs identified lack of training and reimbursement as key barriers to adoption of telehealth,” wrote principle investigator Miranda Moore, PhD, economic and health services researcher at the Robert Graham Center.

When asked to list the top reasons for not using telemedicine, 54 percent of family physicians cited lack of training, 53 percent pointed to lack of payment for telemedicine services, and 45 percent named cost of equipment as obstacles.

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About the Robert Graham Center

The Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care works to improve individual and population health by enhancing the delivery of primary care. The Center staff generates and analyzes evidence that brings a family medicine and primary care perspective to health policy deliberations at local, state, and national levels.

Founded in 1999, the Robert Graham Center is an independent research unit affiliated with the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). The information and opinions contained in research from the Center do not necessarily reflect the views or policy of the AAFP.