Philips Healthcare parent Royal Philips is highlighting a report on the state of telehealth services around the world that finds less than half of radiologists are using "connected care" technologies in their practice.
The publication, "Telehealth: Delivering value across institutional and geographical borders," is an independent analysis the company commissioned from Future Health Index to examine the challenges of implementing telehealth services.
Despite an increasing number of research studies that demonstrate telehealth makes healthcare more effective and lowers costs, adoption of the technology has been inconsistent, according to the report. In radiology, only 39% of the radiologists surveyed for the report are using telehealth technologies. Around the world, only 31% of countries surveyed had defined rules for the collection, protection, and sharing of data, Philips said.
Barriers to the implementation of telehealth services include dated reimbursement and payment models, cultural attitudes, lack of financial incentives, restrictive policies, and inadequate technological infrastructures, such as broadband access, according to the report.
