COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 18, 2014 -- Telehealth and the impact that it can make on reducing cost, improving patient access and increasing quality care will be the focus of discussions with Legislators at the Ohio Statehouse by advocates of Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) on April 3rd.

A new alliance and several partnerships are helping telehealth continue to expand its utilization.

Former congressional legislators announced the launch of a new alliance to promote policy reform around telehealth and remote patient monitoring.

HomeTown Health, in partnership with the National School of Applied Telehealth, has partnered with The New College Institute (NCI) and the University of Virginia (UVA) Center for Telehealth to launch the first telehealth certification program in the state of Virginia.

BOSTON, Feb. 5, 2014 -- Massachusetts-based telehealth leader American Well has found that consumers vastly prefer the face-to-face interaction of video visits to telephone-only consults. In fact, consumers chose video for their visit 94 percent of the time. Of those using video, 60 percent did so using a mobile device, with telephone and secure messaging playing a role only when Internet access was limited. Doctors who treat patients via American Well report that they also prefer video consults over phone-only – mainly because it helps them better diagnose patients.

Telehealth adoption at U.S. hospitals largely hinges on state reimbursement and licensure policies that support its use, according to a study published in Health Affairs.

“The stars are aligning” for telehealth this year, as legislators, corporations and state governments are showing growing interest in this field for its potential to reduce costs and improve access to care, Jonathan Linkous, CEO of the American Telemedicine Association, said during the association’s monthly meeting on Jan. 28.

Several market estimates peg telehealth services for rapid and significant growth in coming years and results of clinical studies indicate that the investment is worthwhile.