Smartphones and other mobile devices, such as tablet PCs, are seeing increasing use by everyone -- especially physicians. Around 63% of physicians report using a mobile device for health solutions in treating patients, usually as a handy data or reference source, according to a survey of 1,000 physicians by PriceWaterHouseCoopers (PWC).
Of these physicians, 56% said their devices "expedite decision making" and 40% said they "decrease time spent on administration."
The main advantage of using mobile technology in the practice setting is faster decisions, driven by accessing more accurate data in real time, the PWC survey concludes. Timely access to the right information was consistently cited as the top challenge to physicians, survey respondents said.
Mobile access instead of an office visit: Is your practice overburdened? Using mobile technologies like remote monitoring, email or even text messages to track patients' conditions and address their questions would reduce office visits, 40% of physician respondents said.
Among private payers, reimbursement for such services has been sparse, but that's changing, the PWC report says. Health plans are starting to pay for remote monitoring devices because they reduce the prohibitive costs of hospital readmissions, the report says.
Plus, as we've covered repeatedly, Medicare pays for telehealth services with a bevy of codes, so long as you follow its rules (namely, telehealth services can't be related to previous office E/Ms and can't result in a physical visit).