Page 17 Unlocking The Potential of Physician to Patient Telehealth Services The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation

receive the quality of care they expect, and recognize and leverage opportunities to use
telehealth to reduce costs.

CONCLUSION
Successful adoption of telehealth will require a number of regulatory and policy changes.
Because health care is thoroughly regulated, largely at the state level and with significant
involvement by health care professionals, even small changes can face substantial barriers.
The health field is comprised of a number of distinct groups: patients, doctors and nurses,
insurers, drug manufacturers, hospitals, and others. These different groups have distinct
interests, and work within a maze of professional and market incentives that can be difficult
to coordinate and that are sometimes in conflict. Moreover, because states are often
reluctant to give up regulatory authority, even when their regulations favor producers over
consumers and limit nationwide innovation, federal government interventions are
necessary. However, the enormous opportunity from telehealth means that although
challenging, the right policy changes will be worthwhile, especially for patients.

THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION FOUNDATION | MAY 2014 PAGE 17