Dive Brief:
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A newly formed group has come together to ensure that advancing telemedicine stays in policymakers' minds.
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The group -- the Alliance for Connected Care -- was formed by three former U.S. Senators. Their plan is to work on raising awareness of telehealth while fighting for regulations that don't impede its progress.
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The group's specific objectives include showing why Connected Care tools are important to improving healthcare quality and efficiency, finding connected care champions among federal legislators and establishing a standardized but flexible definition of connected care on the federal level.
Dive Insight:
As former Sen. Daschle points out, telemedicine tools have been around since at least 2000, before smartphones were even on the market. It's about time the health care system leverages these powerful tools, particularly given the capability of smart phones and tablets to connect patients with their doctors. The vendors are well aware of this: members of the board of this new organization include Verizon, WellPoint, CVS, Teladoc and Welch Allyn. Perhaps we'll finally see a breakthrough in telemedicine use and deployment.