“Telemedicine is the use of medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic communications to improve patients’ health status” (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, 2013, p. 156.) Telemedicine is a tool that enables providers to deliver health care services to patients at distant location, and it is often promoted as a means of addressing the imbalances in the distribution of health care resources (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, 2013, p. 156.) Telemedicine can be as simple as a telephone conversation among two doctors at different locations or as complex as using satellite technology to provide a consultation between a doctor and a patient that are located in different countries. Telemedicine can also include the use of e-mail, smart phones, wireless tools, and other forms of telecommunications technologies (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, 2013, p. 156.) According to Wager, Lee, and Glaser there are two delivery methods that can be used to connect providers with providers or providers with patients (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, 2013, p. 157.) The first is called store to forward, which is used transferring digital images from one location to another (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, 2013, p. 157). The second is called two-way interactive video conferencing, which is used when a face-to-face consultation is required (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, 2013, p. 157). Using two-way interactive video conferencing can allow specialist provider’s access to their patients in rural communities without having to travel. The military and in university research, there are other forms of telemedicine such as robotic equipment used for telesurgery. Telemedicine can make specialty care more accessible to rural and medically underserved communities and can easily connect providers a... ... middle of paper ... ... are many concerns that should be addressed by all medical facilities, no matter the size. Those being: user verification, access, authentication, security, and data integrity. Conclusion Telemedicine, is going to continue to expand, according to the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), approximately 200 telemedicine networks have been established nationwide, and more than 50 percent of U.S. hospitals use at least one telemedicine service (Frederick, 2013, p. 12). Telemedicine hold a great promise in health information technology, it not only promises to improve health care delivery but it also aids in serving the most vulnerable of patients. Both providers and patients in order for it to improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations, thus, reducing health disparities, and lowering health care costs across the spectrum must broadly accept Telemedicine.
Within this two terms, it work together to help delivery patient care within the hospital or the team that is caring for the patient. Interface will be the systems that spread out the information to a bigger group such as the interoperability, and from there the interoperability will be the one that helps share the information to the organization or the team. With two works together to help the communication between the groups to provide good quality care for the
Wade, V. A., Karnon, J. Elshaug, A., & Hiller, J. E. (2010). A systematic review of economic analyses of telehealth services using real time video communication. BMC Health Service Research,
The author’s sources support the conclusion that innovations in health technology will help improve patient care. Using not only Dr. Martin but others who are being trained in the field such as Sean Hayes, a Baylor MB/Healthcare/MSIS candidate, who in the article spoke of how a physician can be patched in by video and do a distance consult, which he saw as cost sharing in rural areas at may not be able to afford
[20]Charles BL. (2000) Telemedicine can lower costs and improve access. Healthcare Financial Management. 54(4): 66.
Sevean, P., Dampier, S., Spadoni, M., Strickland, S., Pilatzke, S., (2008). Patients and families experiences with video telehelath in rural/remote communities in northern canada. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 18. 2573-2579.
Telehealth is the monitoring via remote exchange of physiological data between a patient at home and health care professionals at hospitals or clinics to assist with diagnosis and treatment. As our society ages and health care costs increase, government and private insurance payers are seeking technological interventions. Technological solutions may provide high quality healthcare services at a distance, utilize professional resources more effectively, and enable elderly and ill patients to remain in their own homes. Patients may experience decreased hospitalization and urgent care settings, and out of home care may not be required as the patient is monitored at home. However, no study has been able to prove telehealth benefits conclusively. This change in health care delivery presents new ethical concerns, and new relationship boundaries between health care professionals, patients, and family members. This paper will discuss telehealth benefits in specific patient populations, costs benefits of using telehealth, and concerns of using telehealth.
Reimbursement policies prevent the total integration of telemedicine into health care practice (Prinz, 2008). Today, there is no overall telemedicine reimbursement policy in the federal health care system (HRSA, 2011 & OAT, 2003). As a result, reimbursement for telecare has been limited and somewhat haphazard. It’s up to each state to specify what telemedicine services, if any, are eligible for Medicaid reimbursement (HRSA, 2011 & OAT, 2003).
XIAO-YING, Z., & PEIYING, Z. (2016). Telemedicine in clinical setting. Experimental & Therapeutic Medicine, 12(4), 2405-2407.
Sulzbacher, S., Vallin, T., & Waetzig, E. Z. (2006). Telepsychiatry improves paediatric behavioural health care in rural communities. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 12, 285-288.
Telenursing is the application of information and telecommunications technology to offer the nursing or healthcare services to the patients. The most advanced field of telehealth is in household telenursing healthcare. Telenursing devices like computers, telephones and videophones enable nurses to increase successfully the patient numbers seen daily while reducing the entire workload (Arnaert & Delesie, 2001). Nurses are capable of doing this without having to leave the doctor’s office or hospital hence saving a considerable amount of
Telehealth definition according to our textbook by Hebda, T., & Czar, P., 2013 is the use of telecommunications technologies and electronic information to exchange healthcare information and to provide and support services such as long-distance clinical healthcare to clients. It provides health care to patients that may not be able to have access to care. Telehealth requires a patient to have electronic tools to facilitate this type of service. Electronic tools can be a telephone, computer, or a video camera. The patient is able to call or enable video conferencing to have access to their health care provider.
Telemedicine is a new comer to the field of medicine and it is the treatment of patients by means of telecommunications technology. Telemedicine is carried out in a variety of ways whether it is by smart phone, wireless tools or other forms of telecommunications. Examples of telemedicine include: 1) transmission of medical images 2) care services at the home of the patient 3) Diagnosis at distance 4) education and training of patients. The diversity of practices in what is known as telemedicine raises many questions and one of those questions, which is extremely important, relate to the safety of the practice and the risks involved.
Telehealth allows a lower-level healthcare practitioner to communicate with a physician or specialist when necessary. Remote rural areas use a Physician Assistant or a Nurse Practitioner on location in remote areas. When procedures call for a physician, an internet or satellite link provides a teleconference with a physician who can prescribe appropriate treatment (Gangon, Duplantie, Fortin & Landry 2006). This could be implemented in lower income urban areas, allowing free clinics to lower costs, and require fewer physicians. Programs that increase the level of healthcare available to school children could be increased.
People view the Internet generally in two ways either in a positive light or a negative view. What adds fuel to how people feel about the Internet is what they hear about the Internet from the media. Whether they read it in a newspaper, magazine, or hear it on television the media effects how people feel about certain things and this includes their feelings on the Internet. The Internet gets positive coverage from the media whenever it makes life easier or better, by making things more convenient. One positive advancement with Internet technology is the development of telesurgery over recent years. Telesurgery is a way to perform surgical operations without having the doctor in direct contact with the patient during surgery. This is made possible by giving the doctor control of robotic operating tools. The doctor can perform the surgery from almost any distance while the patient receives the surgery from remote control robotic operating instruments. What enables the doctor to control the surgery is a powerful Internet link to connect the doctor to operating tools, monitors, and to communication with other expert doctors. While the patient undergoes the surgery they are not left alone with the robotic instruments they have direct human assistance at the scene of the operation. The surgical assistant is needed to monitor any problems that doctors may miss due to slight delays in Lopez 2 the Internet link. While telesurgery can be used to perform most operations, some common surgeries that telesurgery has been used for are gall bladder removal, appendectomies, and gynecological procedures. This technology has an endless amount of benefits. A patient can receive the operation they need at their local hospitals from the most qualified surgeon in that field of medicine. The ability to operate on people without the doctor being present will enable the medical field to reach farther than it ever has before. With the right link to the telesurgery equipment the Internet is one step closer to having, no boundaries. Surgery can now be performed where doctors may not have the training to perform certain operations. For instance in underdeveloped countries, where the medical standards have not reached the capabilities of industrialized nations. Telesurgery will benefit those who are injured while fighting on the battlefield and are in need of major medical attention. The doctor can provide the injured soldier with the help they need from a safe location without the worry of injury to them self.
Virtual care technologies are becoming an increasingly necessary component of healthcare delivery. Today, more than ever, patients are seeking healthcare modalities that empower them to manage and receive treatment for acute and chronic conditions through convenient, innovative and cost-effective telehealth services. However, outdated limitations on telehealth services, particularly for Medicare and rural patients, preventing the full potential and integration of telehealth and virtual care technologies like Zipnosis. We believe the Evidence-Based Telehealth Expansion Act of 2017 (H.R. 3482) would take a critical first step in addressing this crucial issue and bridge the growing gap in care for Medicare and underserved populations. Virtual care technologies, when integrated into a health system, offer significant potential for improving health outcomes, decreasing healthcare costs and increasing access to quality care.