Telehealth consultations will increase 80% globally by 2025 and more than half of consults in North America will be virtual, according to a new study by technology research firm Juniper Research.
The study, released Monday, said global telehealth consultations will increase from 422 million in 2021 to 765 million by 2025. There is a hitch, though. The study said growth in telehealth will be driven by access to mobile devices, 5G connectivity and cloud services. That could put rural communities that currently have limited access to broadband services at a disadvantage, unless Washington passes an infrastructure package addressing broadband access.
“Teleconsultation services require high bandwidth, which is often unavailable in developing regions, limiting the impacts of services in these areas,” Adam Wears, the study’s author, said. “However, the report predicts that 5G technologies can be used as a last-mile solution to underpin service provision in areas where Internet connectivity is sparse or inadequate.”
The researchers said telehealth could save healthcare providers $21 billion globally by 2025.
The pandemic spurred growth in telemedicine as payers, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), let healthcare providers conduct visits with patients virtually.
In another report out Monday, Fair Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker found the number of virtual healthcare visits stabilized in May, after declining February through April. The percentage of claims for telehealth services increased 2.04% between April and May.
