Florida TaxWatch Urges Increased Use of Telehealth

Florida TaxWatch released a report on Tuesday on how virtual technology can improve health-care. The group will be holding a conference in Orlando on Sept. 10 on telehealth issues.  

“Florida’s health-care system is outdated and unable to meet the needs of 19 million Floridians,” said Robert Weissert, the senior vice president of research for Florida TaxWatch. “By implementing telehealth technologies, health care practitioners can adequately provide care to Floridians in rural areas or to patients are unable to travel to a doctor’s office. Telehealth is convenient for doctors and patients, and because patients are keeping up with their care plans and are appropriately monitored, telehealth results in better health care outcomes, driving down costs.”

“Our communities and residents are becoming increasingly connected, and it is imperative that our health care systems keep up with available innovations,” said Dominic Calabro, the president and CEO of Florida TaxWatch. “The medical field has undergone enormous transformations. Surgical techniques are constantly improving and advances in medicine are helping to cure formerly incurable diseases, yet we continue to access our health care in the same way we have for years. Using technology to connect doctors, patients and resources is a long overdue next step. Florida’s health care policies need to be updated to allow medicine to continue evolving to best meet patient needs.”

The report, which looks at states that have embraced telecare, can be read here. Previous reports from Florida TaxWatch on the issue have shown that increased telecare could lead to considerable savings.