Page 20 - Delaware Medical Journal - July 2017

Development of an Asthma Adherence Telemedicine Program Andrew G. Weinstein, MD
TELEMEDICINE
National health care expenditure in the United States in 2015 was $3.2 trillion.1 It has been shown, in many populations, that persons with chronic conditions
are the most frequent utilizers of health care in the United States. Seventy-six per cent of physician visits, 91 percent percent of all hospital admissions are for chronic disease,2 and these inpatient costs.1,2 Telemedicine, the application of telecommunications to clinical care, continues to grow quickly and has gained acceptance over the past few years in the U.S.
More than 15 million Americans received some kind of medical care remotely in 2016, according to the American Telemedicine Association.3 In a 2016 poll of 1,500 family physicians, only 15 percent had used it in their practices — but 90 percent said they would if were appropriately reimbursed.4 Among consumers surveyed about virtual health care services, 61 percent of patients were open to using them
and 16 percent have done so.4 Services traditionally provided include a patient- centered and clinician-led information technology-enhanced care coordination service to get people the right care at the right time, in the right place, and with the right community resources.
Christiana Care Health System Information Technology and Population Health programs are examples of advanced systems and represent the latest
212 Del Med J
| July 2017
| Vol. 89
| No. 7