Key Factors Affecting the Adoption of Telemedicine by Ambulatory Clinics: Insights from a Statewide Survey.

Background: Despite demonstrated benefits and improved demand for telemedicine, adoption rates by U.S. ambulatory clinics remain low. There is a critical need to identify why telemedicine adoption rates remain low among ambulatory providers. Introduction: The aim of this study is to evaluate key predictors of telemedicine adoption by ambulatory clinics and assess salient differences between adopters and nonadopters. Three categories of predictors namely clinic characteristics, health information technology (HIT)-related factor, and organizational variables were examined. Materials and
Methods: The study used data from a survey of 1,285 clinics in Minnesota (MN) that was collected by Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) in 2016. Exploratory statistical analyses as well as binary logistic regression analyses were carried out using SPSS software.
Results: Fifty-five percent of ambulatory clinics in Minnesota had adopted telemedicine. Real-time consultations were adopted in over 26% clinics, remote patient monitoring in 15% clinics, and store-and-forward consultations in about 7% clinics. Originating site teleconsulting was prevalent in 27% clinics, whereas primary care and specialist services through teleconsulting were adopted by 23% clinics. Logistic regression revealed health system-owned clinics, rural clinics, and primary care ones to exhibit higher levels of telemedicine adoption. Clinics with paperless electronic health record (EHR) systems, health information exchange (HIE)-enablement, and better technological infrastructure had higher odds of telemedicine adoption. Furthermore, clinics that had redesigned their workflows also exhibited higher odds of telemedicine adoption. Clinics that faced high costs of telemedicine equipment, lack of demand had lower adoption levels. Clinics that faced high costs for hosting and staffing were more likely to adopt store-and-forward telemedicine and real-time patient monitoring rather than other high-end telemedicine services. Clinics that reported inadequate coverage or reimbursement were more likely to adopt a restrictive set of telemedicine services. Discussion: Telemedicine is not yet very prevalent among Minnesota ambulatory clinics. Over 45% of the clinics do not offer any telemedicine services. The barriers to adoption vary widely and pertain to HIT as well as organizational factors.
Conclusion: With increased demand for telemedicine services, policy changes aimed at improving the reimbursement models, digital infrastructure for telemedicine, HIE capabilities, organizational efforts to move toward paperless EHR systems, and redesigning workflows can facilitate in accelerating telemedicine adoption.