Telemedicine

As a Critical Access Hospital (CAH), we serve those who have difficulty accessing specialist services and per the American Hospital Association “approximately 20 percent of Americans live in rural areas” (American Hospital Association, 2015), that have breaks in specialist care availability. That is where telemedicine could improve the patient’s quality of care, and their ability to access this quality care without causing issues that complicate their health or financial situation. Telemedicine is explained as usage of medical information, and telecommunications exchanged from one site to another for diagnosing, treating, and monitoring a patient’s health status (Wilson & Maeder, 2015). Risks There are regulations that our facility already should adhere to, and they become more prevalent when introducing technology, electronic health records (EHRs), and electronic handling of patient information. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) defines the regulated uses for personal health information (PHI) concerning mandatory authorized disclosures or permissive disclosures (Cahill, 2014). The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) emphasizes and enforces the transmission of PHI between providers, patients, and payers by implementing audits, breach notifications, and penalties…

The new era of IT brings the ability to communicate using different electronic devices that make communication closer and faster between not only friends and members of families, but also between patients and doctors. Telemedicine is a broad term that includes all electronic and mobile devices, which can be used for collecting data, communication with the patient and diagnosis remotely. An attorney and registered nurse Brous (2016) believes that obtaining medical service distantly for 10 million…

Telemedicine has been something that has helped out tremendously in rural communities around the world. According to the American Telemedicine Association, they have been working for over 50 years now to improve health disparities in communities that don’t have access to direct healthcare services. Telemedicine is made available in places where physicians may not necessarily work but want to help those in need. There are many different technologies made to help with the best possible care that…

At a time when health care is a necessity, the shortage of physicians across the country is alarming. For this reason, telemedicine has become the answer to this ever growing problem. The growth of telemedicine is showing no signs of slowing down; instead it is predicted to grow substantially over the next decade. Telemedicine has the potential to make a vast change in the lives of many individuals. In remote areas, where a patient and the closest health care provider can be hundreds of miles…

Brief History of Telemedicine The American Telemedicine Association defines telemedicine as, “the use of medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic communications to improve a patient’s clinical health status.” However, the definition differs according to the source and varies from state to state. While the terms telemedicine and telehealth have definitions that differ somewhat depending on the source, the two terms are used interchangeably. Telemedicine can be used…

Telemedicine includes a growing variety of applications and services using two-way video, email, smart phones, wireless tools and other forms of telecommunications technology.” ("What is Telemedicine?") Telemedicine is improving access to healthcare in rural areas by allowing specialists to provide services such as Teleradiology, Telepsychiatry, and Teledermatology just to name a few. A specific example is it’s application in Intensive Care Unit Telemonitoring (e-ICUs). Utilinzing e-ICUs…

Fastfowarding ahead to the year of 2008 the correctional healthcare industry begin to imcorporate some aspects of technology to help minimize the risk of medical patient errors and to increase patient safety. Today, with the advancement of technology it has help open a line of communication not just between staff but also with outside correctional and healthcare facilities such as hospitals, clinics, health departments, and even with Walgreens and CVS since at times we have to utilize them if…

Benefits of telemedicine Telemedicine has tremendous potential and we’re just beginning to delve into its realm of possibilities. It is a natural digital evolution of a mostly unchanged method of health care delivery. This shift allows people to have better management of their lives while staying in familiar environments such as their own homes (Kaplan & Litweka 2008). Although it is in the very early stages of deployment and research, the concept has been floating around for over half a…

It is a means by which health care professional check, diagnose and treat patient form far way through telecommunication. It has been used to defeat the gap of protecting patients and to improve access to health services that always not available in far rural communities. It is also used to secure lives in a serious care and urgent condition. Today, it involves the use of electronic communication and software to deliver medical services to patient without an in person visit. Overall strength of…

TELEMEDICINE: BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNUTIES IN THE 21ST CENTRUY Burdens and Benefits of Telemedicine The burdens of telemedicine include reliance on technology, which is prone to electronic glitches resulting due to power outages and internet connections disruptions. Such glitches adversely affect the consultations with a healthcare provider. The technology also lays a burden on doctors who may be struggling to use the new technology in addition to the problem of inadequate assessment since the…