Telecom providers see opportunities in telemedicine

Telecommunications providers that were once hesitant to enter the telemedicine market due to a limited reimbursement are shaking off their doubts and developing a more aggressive, confident approach to telemedicine, an IDC report concludes. Published in May, the IDC Health Insights report entitled: "Business Strategy: Monetizing Telemedicine--Telecommunications Provider Opportunities," is the second in a series of four that examines the market for telemedicine and telehealth services. The report described 2010 as a "tipping point" in telecom providers' go-to-market strategy and notes that several companies took the plunge and announced new healthcare initiatives dedicated to providing telehealth services. For example, last year AT&T launched AT&T ForHealth, a collection of services dedicated to accelerating the delivery of wireless, networked, and cloud-based systems specifically for the healthcare industry.