Role of Telemedicine in Urology: Contemporary Practice Patterns and Future Directions

As outlined in the white paper by the AUA (American Urological Association) Telemedicine Workgroup in 2016, telemedicine has the potential to revolutionize health care delivery and access to urological care. National trends pertaining to the contemporary use of telemedicine in the field of urology have yet to be elucidated.

A web based survey consisting of 22 questions was developed by the AUA Leadership group in conjunction with the AUA Telemedicine Workgroup, and this questionnaire was sent electronically to 2,324 current AUA members. The questions focused on patterns in telemedicine use and barriers to implementation.

A total of 243 responses were received and of these 47% reported an association with institutions that promote telemedicine in some aspect of health care delivery. Overall 26% of respondents reported personal involvement with telemedicine applications at some point in their career. However, only 14% claimed to be actively using telemedicine in their current work. The most commonly cited barrier to the implementation of telemedicine was an inability to effectively bill for services (72%).

While telemedicine is a tool that holds great promise, with many respondents reporting infrastructure for telemedicine applications at their institutions, lack of reimbursement was cited as the major barrier to implementation. This issue regarding reimbursement is a central matter that will need to be standardized moving forward in order to promote widespread use.