Pros and cons of telemedicine

Telemedicine is all the rage these days with the FDA focusing on appropriate oversight for medical devices in recent months, more providers sharing their successes and studies on the possibilities it can bring in improving healthcare quality and outcomes and save money.

The latest study found that telemedicine has the potential to deliver more than $6 billion in healthcare savings per year to U.S. companies.

Global analytics company Towers Watson found that 37 percent of surveyed U.S. employers said they expect to offer their employees telemedicine consultations by 2015. Another 34 percent are considering offering telemedicine for 2016 or 2017. Overall, the percentage of employers offering telemedicine is expected to rise from 22 percent to 37 percent, a 68 percent increase.

On the other hand, mobile devices do present privacy and security challenges and this week Sen. Charles E. Schumer called on the Federal Trade Commission to strengthen rules so health data from fitness bracelets, like FitBit, cannot be sold without consumer consent.  

Companies that manufacture fitness bracelets, or app companies, can gather and sell highly personal data, like steps per day, sleep patterns, calories burned, GPS locations and even weight and blood pressure, without users’ knowledge or consent, creating a “privacy nightmare,” he said.

The FTC should require fitness device and app companies to provide a clear and obvious opportunity to “opt-out” before any personal health data is provided to third parties, who could discriminate against the user based on that sensitive and private health information, the senator argued.

Is your organization experiencing benefits and challenges associated with mobile and telehealth? Please share your experience.

Beth Walsh

Clinical Innovation + Technology editor