With growing interest in using telehealth, or telemedicine, to serve patients in geographically remote or underserved areas, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, operating under a mandate from the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), has examined potential barriers to the use of this relatively new form of care.

Among the barriers it found were cultural issues, inadequate licensure, lack of coverage (and reimbursement) for such services, and access and provider training issues.

GAO offered no recommendations for addressing these challenges.

Learn more about GAO’s findings by going here to see the report Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring Use in Medicare and Selected Federal Programs.