When we launched Foley’s inaugural Telemedicine and Digital Health Survey in 2014, health care executives weren’t ready to make telemedicine a significant focus of their business and patient strategies. In fact, 87 percent of respondents did not expect their patients to be using telemedicine services by this time.
In just three years, expectations have been defied. Foley’s 2017 Telemedicine and Digital Health Survey reflects a surging demand for telemedicine-based offerings among providers and patients, as well as a broader acceptance of the technology by other major players in the health care industry. Approximately three-quarters of 2017 respondents—including hospitals, specialty clinics, ancillary services and related organizations—currently offer, or plan to offer, such services, and also have strong intentions to grow those programs in the United States and beyond.