Introduction to Telemedicine

Telemedicine involves the remote delivery of healthcare services, including health assessments, consultations, and follow-up appointments, via telecommunication equipment. It allows physicians and providers to assess, evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients remotely. Telemedicine comprises three primary forms: Interactive Medicine, Store and Forward, and Remote Patient Monitoring.

Impact of Telemedicine on Hospital Setting

Telemedicine has various impacts on hospital settings, including reduced lengths of stay, lower readmission rates, reduced costs associated with inpatient stays, improved outcomes, improved access to specialty medical services and providers, better quality of care, better care coordination, increased probability of interdisciplinary care, reduced need for transport, improved access for patients with mobility issues, reduction in overuse of emergency rooms, reduction in preventable hospitalizations, and increased prevalence on acute care and intensive care units.

Related Concepts: Impact of Telemedicine and Chatbots on the Role of Health Care Managers

Healthcare managers will have to become champions of policy reform to further the growth of telemedicine by challenging reimbursement policies, payment structures, regulatory policies, information technology architectures, corporate boundaries, and resistance to change from staff members, patients, providers, and executives. Telemedicine also reduces the impact of physician and nursing shortages, improves access to continuing education for rural clinicians, increases organizational productivity, reduces mortality rates, complications, and lengths of stay for inpatient stays, and increases early identification of chronic diseases, leading to prompt provision of treatment and improved outcomes.

Credibility of Sources

American Well, Evisit, Doctor On Demand, Medicaid.gov, Teladoc, HealthTap, HealthIT.gov, Medical Futurist, and SearchHealthIT.com are credible sources providing information on telemedicine and related topics.

References

American Well. (2018). American Well: Telemedicine Technology Solutions. Retrieved from https://www.americanwell.com/

HealthIT. (2018). What is telehealth? How is telehealth different from telemedicine? | HealthIT.gov. Retrieved from https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-telehealth-howtelehealth-different-telemedicine

HealthTap – Ask doctors now and get immediate help for free 24/7 – Advice, prescriptions, reminders, and more. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.healthtap.com/

Teladoc: Talk to a doctor in minutes. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.teladoc.com/

BUS FPX 3026 Assessment 8 Future Trends and Innovations

Telemedicine | Medicaid.gov. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/benefits/telemed/index.html

The Top Telemedicine Solutions Bringing Patients and Doctors Closer To Each Other – The Medical Futurist. (2018). Retrieved from https://medicalfuturist.com/top-telemedicinesolutions-bringing-patients-doctors-closer/

The Ultimate Telemedicine Guide | What Is Telemedicine?. (2018). Retrieved from https://evisit.com/resources/what-is-telemedicine/

Urgent Care Doctors & Psychologists – Doctor On Demand. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.doctorondemand.com/

What is telemedicine? – Definition from WhatIs.com. (2018). Retrieved from https://searchhealthit.techtarget.com/definition/telemedicine

BUS FPX 3026 Assessment 8 Future Trends and Innovations