A new report by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) has indicated that many health systems and hospitals are reluctant to launch telemedicine programs, because they don’t understand or don’t recognize telehealth’s value.

Of the 1,251 healthcare stakeholders who responded to MGMA’s industry poll, 38% stated that their organizations haven’t adopted telemedicine because they don’t understand it; another 30% believe that telemedicine is an insufficient substitute for face-to-face care delivery.

The tide may be turning, though: consumers continue to demand easier, affordable access to care and the industry continues to look for value-based, cost-effective means for delivering quality patient outcomes.

31% of polled organizations thus reported that they do have telehealth programs and another 24% reported that they plan to eventually launch them.

Get the full story here from Julie Spitzer at Becker’s Hospital Review.