TelemedicineKey Barriers to Implementing Telehealth and Ways to Overcome Them

Learn about the biggest barriers to telehealth connected to legislation, financial matters, and security issues, and find out how to overcome them.

According to a patient consumer survey held by Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), 31% of online visits were followed by in-person visits. The reason for this is quite simple: while virtual care provides patients with an easier way to get medical assistance, there are still a number of tasks that help healthcare practitioners diagnose and treat their patients that can’t be done via telemedicine platforms, like physical examinations and testing.

Sometimes both patients and physicians refuse to use telemedicine, deeming it not as effective as in-person healthcare. Let’s learn more about the biggest barriers to telehealth and discover how to overcome them.

Financial obstacles

When a specialist implements telehealth, they may find that having their online appointment calendar fully booked doesn’t guarantee that they will get paid for each visit. There are multiple reasons for this:

• not all virtual services are reimbursed equally to in-person services
• patients may skip online visits

To overcome the first obstacle, we recommend checking your reimbursement policy and then ensuring you have all the information you need from your patients to get reimbursed. For the second problem, you can’t guarantee that the patient will show up. However, you can still collect payment upfront and implement a no-show policy that will clarify when you provide refunds.

Technological barriers to telehealth

Sometimes it isn’t the financial or security issues that deter healthcare providers from using telemedicine. Many specialists feel concerned about implementing telehealth because they believe the software either isn’t user-friendly or simply doesn’t fit their workflow. That’s why it’s so important to choose software for clinic management based on your goals, methods, and needs, evaluating not only its videoconferencing functionality but its additional options as well.

There are multiple telemedicine software options on the market that help healthcare specialists with patient management, scheduling, billing, and documentation, but make sure not to choose anything overcomplicated and try multiple options before you decide which solution fits your needs.

Possible legal barriers

Another obstacle that often stops healthcare practitioners from implementing telehealth-based services is the need to determine if they are eligible to provide care or not. Usually, the healthcare practitioner has to be licensed in the state where their patient resides. However, sometimes this requirement can be waived. There is also an option for a practitioner to obtain a guest license provision for 30 days to work with an out-of-state patient.

This concerregulationn can be alleviated by getting an Interjurisdictional Practice Certificate (IPC). Also, read the general rules and recommendations for online healthcare providers in your state to see if you’re eligible to prescribe medications to, diagnose, or treat patients.

The second legal issue that may deter practitioners from implementing telehealth is the danger of malpractice that not only can potentially harm the patient but also might lead to lawsuits that can ruin your reputation. To avoid such a situation, you have to carefully write your terms of use. You must describe in detail the services you provide as well as your responsibilities. You should also get malpractice insurance even if you’re sure this wouldn’t happen to you.

Security barriers

According to the Deloitte survey we mentioned before, security issues are some of the most significant barriers to telehealth. While it might seem natural to discuss personal business in messengers and video chats outside of work, when it comes to healthcare services, patients provide healthcare practitioners with personal data that is potentially sensitive to abuse.

This is where HIPAA compliance measures come in handy. It’s essential to understand which data types have to be protected and what steps have to be taken to secure patient data, as a lack of protection measures might lead to electronic personal health information leaks.

Healthcare providers that do not follow the security regulations and overlook the importance of HIPAA standards can be sued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. What’s more pressing is that someone might use your patient’s health records or medical insurance information against them.

Ensure your patients are safe while using your services by:

• choosing HIPAA-compliant software for video visits and messaging
• regularly updating your software and passwords
• using a two-factor authentication method
• encrypting all data and files

Addressing patients’ concerns

The Deloitte Insights network survey found that the loss of personal connection with the specialist, lower quality of care, and technical difficulties were labeled as the main concerns virtual healthcare users have when turning to telemedicine-based services The users viewed telemedicine in a negative way and were reluctant to attend their specialist visit virtually, even if they were given such an option. That’s why some healthcare providers find it difficult to persuade their patients to book virtual appointments instead of in-person ones, even if the virtual visits are used for a pre-screening or for regular checkups.

The best way to address these concerns is to raise awareness about telemedicine services and how they are provided. It is important to show patients the benefits of telemedicine, such as being able to get medical help when it’s not possible to schedule an in-person visit at a convenient time or when there is no need to visit the specialist at all.

The bottom line

Having concerns about new technology is natural; however, telemedicine solutions assist patients from remote areas, help increase safety when the patient has a contagious virus, and work well for pre-screening and patient monitoring. Implementing telehealth is definitely worth trying, despite all the barriers. Now that you know what barriers you may encounter, you will face them fully prepared.

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