25 Telemedicine Facts That Might Surprise You

Telemedicine has become a widely used solution to provide healthcare services to patients in rural areas. This technology has also created opportunities for medical practices to expand their reach and improve patient care. Make sure you know the top telemedicine facts before you get started.

Here are 25 surprising telemedicine facts you should know:

1. Telemedicine is defined as the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support long-distance clinical health care and patient and professional health-related education.

2. Telemedicine technologies include video conferencing, the internet, store-and-forward imaging, streaming media, and remote patient monitoring.

3. Telemedicine can be used for a variety of purposes, including the diagnosis and treatment of patients, the provision of consultative services, the continuing education of health care professionals, and the conduct of clinical research.

4. According to a report from the American Telemedicine Association, there are currently more than 200 telemedicine networks and 3,500 service sites in the United States.

5. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the use of telemedicine increased from 96.7 percent in 2005 to 99.1 percent in 2013.

6. The number of telemedicine-enabled hospital beds in the United States is expected to increase from 1,200 in 2013 to 4,700 by 2018.

7. The number of physicians using telemedicine is expected to increase from 36 percent in 2013 to 71 percent by 2018.

8. The number of patients using telemedicine is expected to increase from 1.9 million in 2013 to 7.6 million by 2018.

9. The global telemedicine market is expected to grow from $23.8 billion in 2015 to $61.6 billion by 2020, at a compound annual growth rate of 21.4 percent.

10. The top 5 countries for telemedicine are the United States, China, India, South Korea, and Japan.

11. The top 5 applications of telemedicine are tele-dermatology, tele-psychiatry, tele-oncology, tele-cardiology, and tele-neurology.

12. The top 5 benefits of telemedicine are increased access to care, improved health outcomes, reduced costs, improved patient satisfaction, and improved provider satisfaction.

13. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the use of telemedicine resulted in a significant reduction in mortality for patients with heart failure.

14. A study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine found that the use of telemedicine resulted in a significant reduction in time to diagnosis and treatment for patients with stroke.

15. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the use of telemedicine resulted in a significant reduction in length of stay for patients in the intensive care unit.

16. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the use of telemedicine resulted in a significant reduction in the number of hospitalizations for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

17. A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that the use of telemedicine resulted in a significant reduction in the number of office visits for patients with diabetes.

18. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the use of telemedicine resulted in a significant reduction in the number of hospitalizations for patients with congestive heart failure.

19. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the use of telemedicine resulted in a significant reduction in the number of hospitalizations for patients with pneumonia.

20. A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that the use of telemedicine resulted in a significant reduction in the number of office visits for patients with hypertension.

21. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the use of telemedicine resulted in a significant reduction in the number of hospitalizations for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

22. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the use of telemedicine resulted in a significant reduction in the number of hospitalizations for patients with heart failure.

23. A study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine found that the use of telemedicine resulted in a significant reduction in the number of hospitalizations for patients with stroke.

24. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the use of telemedicine resulted in a significant reduction in the number of hospitalizations for patients with congestive heart failure.

25. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the use of telemedicine resulted in a significant reduction in the number of hospitalizations for patients with pneumonia.

Thank you to all of our sources for their research and contributions!