Telemedicine and Primary Care Obesity Management in Rural Areas – Innovative Approach for Older Adults?

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Explores telemedicine as a potential delivery tool for the Medicare Obesity Benefit in primary care settings. Describes challenges in implementing the benefit in rural areas, including increasing older adult populations, shortages in primary care and specialized healthcare providers, reimbursement issues, and transportation barriers. Presents the potential utility of telemedicine in rural obesity care and non-physician staff delivery options, which require regulatory changes.

John Batsis, Sarah Pletcher, James Stahl

BMC Geriatrics, 17, 6

01/2017

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Access · Elderly population · Medicare · Obesity and weight control · Reimbursement and payment models · Telehealth