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Minnesota Telehealth Inventory 2007 Report
The full text of the Minnesota Telehealth Inventory 2007 report is
available as a PDF (Portable Document Format) file.
Executive Summary
Between March 15, 2007 and June 15, 2007, the Institute for Health Informatics of the University of Minnesota, on behalf of the Minnesota Department of Health Office of Rural Health and Primary Care, conducted a survey of health providers to determine the extent of telehealth offerings in the state. The project specified three deliverables dealing with the extent of use of telehealth in the State of Minnesota. These consisted of:
- An inventory survey designed to identify organizations and facilities in Minnesota using or providing telehealth services
- A follow up survey of selected respondents to the Inventory Survey who reported providing of using telehealth services
- A prototype interactive website that provides access to a registry of telehealth sites (providers and users) and permits both searching of and additions to the registry.
Inventory Survey Results
Between March 15, 2007 and June 15, 2007, the Institute for Health Informatics of the University of Minnesota conducted a survey of health providers to determine the extent of telehealth offerings in the State. This report summarizes and details the findings of that effort.
- A total of 2800 Inventory Surveys were distributed in two waves to 1500 medical facilities and organizations compiled from lists provided by the Department of Health and the Minnesota Medical Association.
- 626 (43.1%) responded to the Inventory Survey.
- 103 (16.5%) indicated that they provide some kind of telehealth service.
- These providers of telehealth services consisted of 34 hospitals, 42 clinics, 24 elder care organizations and 3 Others.
- Radiology was the most common telehealth-enabled service type, reported by one-third of all sites. This is likely due to the current payment structure for radiology, where remote reads are reimbursed by payers at the same rate as in-house reads. Most of the other common service types are reflective of the video-centric nature of traditional telehealth and teleconsultation: training, mental health and psychiatry, home care, and dermatology.
- As many as 600 facilities and organizations may be offering telehealth services in the State based on the sampling process in this survey.
- 208 (33.2%) reported they had considered or were considering, but were not currently offering telehealth services.
- Of the 208, 115 (55.3% of 208) indicated that cost was a significant barrier.
- 315 (50.3%) respondents reported that they were not currently considering the provision or use of telehealth services.
Follow Up Survey Results
Telehealth-using sites were also solicited for a more in-depth telephone- or fax-based survey of their experiences. 18 sites responded to this secondary survey, with the following principal findings:
- Sites reported a variety of funding mechanisms for startup costs. Nearly half reported using internal funding for this purpose.
- Connectivity was consistently reported to be the item of highest direct cost.
- A similar variety of methods for reimbursing clinical costs was reported, mainly through Medicare/Medicaid and private insurance. Only two sites reported difficulties in obtaining reimbursement for clinical services.
- All but one of the sites expected to continue their telehealth services into the future, with many sites planning expansions of service types and capacity.
- Costs were most frequently cited as concerns in telehealth expansion, followed closely by physician support of the telehealth services themselves, either for referrals or as consultants.
It is reasonable to conclude that there is a diverse and growing telehealth service presence in the State of Minnesota. Beyond the expected concerns over costs, it is evident that telehealth "buy-in" and support by physicians is critical to the success of telehealth efforts, and that leadership and innovative ideas are needed to help foster and maintain this support.
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Last modified on
August 9, 2007