Barriers to care may prevent some patients with obesity from seeking treatment; telemedicine could help.

 

Access to care can be challenging for patients with obesity due to geographic limitations, transportation issues, or mobility constraints. Telemedicine—the delivery of health care services remotely¹—has emerged as a viable and expanding option to address these barriers.

 

Since 2005, telemedicine use has steadily increased, with 61% of health care institutions adopting some form of it.² This growth was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic³, which prompted regulatory changes such as Medicare reimbursement parity for virtual and in-person visits, and temporary relaxations of HIPAA-related software restrictions.

 

Research suggests that patients increasingly prefer telemedicine for its convenience, reduced time commitment, and improved technology. For individuals with obesity, telemedicine may offer additional benefits by helping to reduce barriers such as weight stigma and improving overall access to care.

Barriers to Obesity Treatment

A key barrier to care for patients with obesity is limited access to health care professionals trained in obesity treatment.⁵ This includes not only physicians, but also behavioral therapists, dietitians, exercise physiologists, and health coaches. Patients in rural areas are especially affected, experiencing reduced access to comprehensive obesity care.^5,6 Additionally, obesity is often given low priority during primary care visits. For example, one survey found that 38% of patients with obesity had not discussed a weight loss plan with their health care provider in the previous six months.⁷ Another study identified lack of time, insufficient training in obesity management, poor insurance reimbursement, and limited clinical tools as additional barriers.⁸

 

Treatment adherence is also a challenge. A meta-analysis of 29 weight loss studies found that more than 50% of lost weight was regained within two years, and more than 80% was regained within five years.⁹ The authors concluded that ongoing management is essential — but this often requires frequent office visits and sustained provider support, placing strain on time, resources, and costs. Telemedicine may help reduce these barriers by enabling more consistent follow-up while minimizing demands on both patients and providers.

 

How Telemedicine Can Help?

Telemedicine can help decrease barriers to care in several ways:¹

 

Improving Access

• Expanding the reach of health care providers with training in obesity management and integrated specialists like psychologists, registered dieticians, and exercise therapists
• Increasing access to treatments for patients with mobility issues
• Tailoring interventions to the specific needs of diverse populations
• Expanding treatment options for U.S. military members

 

Reducing Costs

• Reducing resources like time spent traveling
• Limiting missed time from work
• Optimizing treatment packages for individual patients
• Lowering health care costs by supporting integrated, efficient team-based care

 

Promoting Adherence and Engagement

• Decreasing time and resource commitments of frequent counseling appointments or follow ups
• Increasing opportunities for online coaching

 

Although there are several benefits of telemedicine, there are some challenges such as licensing and regulatory issues across states, inconsistent reimbursement, technical limitations, and training for health care providers. Despite these challenges, telemedicine represents a fertile space to help patients with obesity mitigate barriers to care.

Expanding Obesity Care through Telemedicine: Practical Tools for Modern Practice

Telemedicine can reshape how health care providers treat patients with obesity by increasing access to medical expertise while reducing the strain on resources. Integrating telemedicine into clinical practice provides an important opportunity to expand clinician reach and patient support. Health care providers should consider talking with their patients about the role telemedicine could play in their management plan. There might be opportunities to transition some patients more fully to a telemedicine model while other patients may prefer a hybrid approach to care. Telemedicine can help patients with obesity lose weight and maintain a healthy weight.

 

To support health care providers in delivering effective obesity care via telemedicine, Robard offers a comprehensive platform that simplifies remote patient engagement and care delivery. From a turnkey, clinic-branded eStore with direct-to-patient shipping to Medicare-reimbursable remote monitoring tools via an exclusive mobile app, we help providers extend their reach without increasing administrative burden. Our solution also includes professional marketing assets to help grow your program and keep patients engaged — whether you’re operating fully virtually or using a hybrid care model. Follow this link to learn more.

 

Source(s):

1 The benefit of telemedicine in obesity

2 Trends in telemedicine use in a large commercially insured population

3 Trends in the use of telehealth during the emergence of the COVID-­ 19 pandemic —­ United States, January–­ March 2020

4 Telemedicine: Patient-­ provider clinical engagement during the COVID-­ 19 pandemic and beyond

5 Telemedicine and primary care obesity management in rural areas -­ innovative approach for older adults?

6 Barriers to obesity treatment

7  Perceptions of barriers to effective obesity care: Results from the national ACTION study

8 Current attitudes and practices of obesity counselling by health care providers

9 Maintenance of lost weight and long-­ term management of obesity

 

About the Author: Dr. Dawn M. Sweet has over 20 years of experience in the field of communication. Dr. Sweet has given several invited talks to and workshops for academic and private sector audiences on the role of nonverbal and verbal communication in achieving positive outcomes and mitigating bias. Her research has been published in several top ranked peer-review journals, and it has been featured on NPR’s River to River / All Things Considered, Buzzfeed, and Science Daily. Her research has also been used to inform expert testimony.

About Robard: Robard Corporation’s medical obesity treatment programs and scientifically-designed nutrition products have been utilized by physicians, surgeons and hospitals across the United States to successfully treat patients living with obesity. To learn more about us and how we can help your practice and patients, visit us online www.Robard.com, email us at info@robard.com, or call (800) 222-9201.