Telehealth modalities are increasingly commonplace across specialties, with 74% of physicians’ practices offering remote care access through video conferencing—up from 14.3% in 2018.
Physicians hold opposing views on telehealth. One family medicine doctor posted on Sermo, saying, “Telehealth needs to be thrown away. I cannot believe how many misdiagnoses I have seen when not done in person.” Another 68% report satisfaction with its use in their clinical practice.
These conflicting opinions reflect both the broader challenges and promise of telehealth—for physicians and patients alike.
In this article, we’ll detail telehealth’s evolving benefits and challenges. We’ll also cover leading telemedicine platforms, their key features and implications for patient care.
What is a telemedicine platform?
Telehealth is a subset of e-health where physicians use telecommunications technology to deliver clinical healthcare or patient- and peer-related education. Telemedicine is a subset of telehealth that focuses specifically on delivering remote clinical patient care.
A telemedicine platform is the facilitating technological infrastructure for this type of e-health. Beyond audio and visual technology, these platforms increasingly offer:
- Native electronic health record (EHR) integrations
- Remote patient monitoring tools
- Automated appointment scheduling, billing and insurance claims management
- Marketing and user support services
- Centralized workflows for managing multi-state licensing, credentialing and ongoing regulatory compliance
The COVID-19 pandemic drove wide telehealth adoption. In 2019, analysts valued the U.S. telehealth market at $11.23 billion. But after the pandemic began, it increased to $17.9 billion—a rise of 59.4%.
“Medical Practice has evolved over the years especially with the COVID 19 pandemic, it has made medical practice drift towards telehealth and reduced physical contact with patients.” (Sermo member, Family Medicine, US)
While some sources say telehealth services are plateauing, the 2024 U.S. telehealth market reached 42.54 billion, with analysts projecting it to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.8% until 2030.
2 benefits of telemedicine software for doctors
Telehealth impacts some specialties more than others. It’s most prevalent in psychiatry, but physicians in family medicine, hematology and internal medicine also increasingly adopt software for telehealth.
Physicians across fields share the following common benefits:
1. Improving patient outcomes
Telemedicine’s efficacy helps patients and physicians manage chronic diseases. A retrospective study of telehealth pharmacy services found increased pharmacy visits and lower A1c levels in most patients. The paper indicates telehealth portals’ efficacy in diabetes management.
Reflecting this, one Sermo member and U.S. endocrinologist, explained, “My diabetic patients are doing better with telehealth. They show me what is in their cupboards, refig, etc. I get to understand family dynamics.”
They continued, “Patients are doing great. We do insulin pump management with patients and they love telehealth. I think once a year they should be seen in person if they want.”
Additionally, a prospective observational study of 186 participants found that telemedicine interventions improved patient outcomes, patient satisfaction and care accessibility. Sermo members also note telehealth’s implications for medical care accessibility. “Telehealth is beneficial for patients with CHR/severe medical problems, transportation problems, childcare/caregiver issues and the disabled and elderly with reduced mobility,” explained a U.S. pediatrician.
Another psychiatrist added, “[Telehealth] enables folks with transportation or other life issues that prevent a face-to-face visit to continue to get good continuity of care. They should not substitute completely for in-person visits. Medicine is becoming depersonalized enough!”
2. Enhancing careers
There’s a strong body of research that associates companies in telemedicine with reduced physician burnout.
One physician posted on Sermo, “My telemedicine career actually started with working as a collaborating physician for Acne/Anti-Aging Telemedicine practice with Curology. I was already getting burned out from the Emergency Dept after 10 yrs and Telemedicine provided an opportunity to cut down from the ED.”
Physicians across specialties report other similar benefits for their careers: greater work-life balance, enhanced clinical performance and greater patient access.
Challenges telemedicine providers experience
Telemedicine’s challenges are longstanding. Traditionally, telehealth’s seven primary barriers were:
- Financing and reimbursement
- Licensure and regulatory barriers
- Inflated expectations and hype
- Adoption and competition
- Technology and service alignment
- Evidence gaps
- Defining and achieving “success”
While there have been notable developments in the past half-decade, these barriers still exist—albeit in evolving forms.
Billing and reimbursement policies are significant barriers. One family medicine doctor wrote, “I had proposed on Sermo before that the physical exam be billed separately, much like a procedure is billed separately. I should be paid more than those who simply talk if my fact gathering includes a properly performed exam pertinent to a concern—regardless of in-person or virtual.”
More broadly, 59% of physicians Sermo surveyed say that telehealth requires the same medical knowledge as in-person visits and should be billed at the same rates, and 34% maintain that telehealth is not equivalent to in-person care and should be billed differently.
3 key features of telehealth platforms and software
With the rise in telemedicine’s popularity, there has been an increasing number of advanced U.S.-based platforms for telehealth. They share various common features, and the following three are particularly consequential:
- Native integrations: Modern solutions offer native EHR integrations. This supports the quadruple aim, facilitates value-based care and reduces burnout among clinicians.
- HIPAA compliance: Native integrations support HIPAA compliance through end-to-end security measures. Many platforms also offer workflows to conduct risk analysis, develop identity verification policies and obtain patient consent when necessary.
- User-friendliness: Telehealth websites and platforms should make patient access seamless throughout the continuum of care. This includes intuitive navigational interfaces, appointment scheduling and payment gateways.
The 4 best telemedicine platforms in 2025
The following four telemedicine software providers are leaders in their field and offer doctors and institutions the capacity to seamlessly adopt telehealth into their practices.
1. Doxy.me
Doxy.me won GHP’s best telemedicine platform of 2024. Users cite its HIPAA compliance and general seamlessness for physicians and patients as key benefits. It also offers a free HIPAA-compliant subscription option.
One user reported, “The platform is easy to use for both the clinician and the client. It is extremely reliable.” Listing what they like about the platform, another reported, “Fast setup and easy to use. Allows patients to login and complete visits easily. Look and feel are simple and effective.”
2. Updox
Updox has a strong adoption rate, with 150 million patients in its database. Beyond offering reputable telehealth solutions, Updox’s unique selling proposition (USP) is its centralized platform for broad practice management.
Users cite ease of use as its key benefit. One wrote, “Updox’s interface and integration with our EHR is so easy and intuitive.” Another doctor noted, “[Updox] offers many different modules for my practice—including faxing, scanning, secure texting and emailing—which help tremendously with patient communication.”
3. Mend
Mend offers native EHR integrations, patient self-scheduling, automated payment gateways and other features that benefit providers.
Users rate it highly. One physician wrote, “Connecting with the patient is quick and easy. You can customize the waiting area in order for the patients to have pertinent information needed for the appointment. I also like being able to share screens and give examples on video.”
4.VCDoctor
VCDoctor provides a full spectrum of modern telemedicine features, including EHR integration, multi-device compatibility and an intuitive patient portal. It’s positioned as an all-in-one HIPAA-compliant telehealth virtual care platform.
One user wrote, “VCDoctor has been the perfect solution for us to help in improving health and consulting more patients.”
How to implement software for telemedicine
The American Medical Association (AMA) created a helpful telehealth implementation playbook and associated resources. The playbook has six steps:
- Assess organizational needs: Identify front-line staff-identified issues that align with organizational objectives. Target the issues that telehealth can address.
- Form multidisciplinary implementation teams: AMA advises compartmentalizing healthcare teams into four groups—core, leadership, advisory and implementation.
- Establish clear objectives: Create SMART goals, with a particular emphasis on defining success.
- Consider potential vendors: Consider if the telemedicine vendors above align with your needs. Additionally, speak with similar providers on the telehealth companies they partner with.
- Gain buy-in: Make sure all relevant team members are briefed, aligned and supportive.
- Finalize agreements: Negotiate and sufficiently document vendor partnership agreements that benefit and protect both parties.
What are physicians around the world saying about telehealth?
On Sermo, physicians post their nuanced experiences in the industry—including with telehealth.
One Sermo user and radiologist wrote, “Telehealth is the most practical, patient-oriented, change. I hope to see it expanded for mental health care, which is sorely lacking here in the US. Apps are springing up to fill this niche but they give canned responses that are often wrong. Consultation with a trained professional has no substitute and telehealth makes that possible.”
Meanwhile, others maintain telehealth’s effectiveness in their field. One psychiatrist posted, “Mental health needs telehealth to stay.”
Regardless of your specialty, there could be a way telemedicine fits into your practice. Share your experience and learn from peers on Sermo. Sign up to become a member of the world’s largest platform for doctors today.
