Telehealth: Aiding navigation through the perfect storm of diabetes care in the era of health care reform

Abstract

The advance of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and impending shortages of health care providers to serve the ever-increasing diabetes population have led to an increased need to do more with less in the field of health care. New and emerging technologies are making telehealth more accessible, more desirable, and thus more acceptable as a way to interact with patients in their homes or rural communities. Although some issues are yet to be resolved, technological innovations, evidence of the positive effect of diabetes telehealth on clinical and quality-of-life outcomes, and the strong emphasis on telehealth in the ACA make such services worthy of consideration.