Several recent reports indicate that telemedicine is being adopted at a slow pace  –thanks to Ben Gold for these references.

AP: Telemedecine’s Challenge: Getting Patients to Click the App

An excerpt:

Widespread smartphone use, looser regulations and employer enthusiasm are helping to expand access to telemedicine, where patients interact with doctors and nurses from afar, often through a secure video connection…

Doctors have used telemedicine for years to monitor patients or reach those in remote locations. Now more employers are encouraging people covered under their health plans to seek care virtually for several reasons…

Telemedicine can reduce time spent away from the job, and it also can cost half the price of a doctor’s visit, which might top $100 for someone with a high-deductible plan…

Research firm IHS Markit estimates that telemedicine visits in the U.S. will soar from 23 million in 2017 to 105 million by 2022. But even then, they will probably amount to only about one out of every 10 doctor visits.

My take: Telemedicine can overcome geographical barriers. However, I worry about the person-to-person connection as this is hard even with face-to-face visits.

An unrelated article using telemedicine: IBD News Today: Remote Monitoring Offers Little Benefit to IBD Patient, Study Finds In this randomized study with 348 adult patients wtih IBD, telemedicine (in addition to clinic visits) did not improve patient confidence or management more than the control populaiton. 

Joshua Tree National Park