“Telemedicine expands access to health care for the patient, it improves access to care for those who cannot otherwise get it and lowers cost, and it also intervenes when it comes to utilizing costs at hospitals and emergency rooms,” says Jon Linkous, CEO of the American Telemedicine Association, an advocacy group for the Telehealth industry. “You can monitor patients who have chronic conditions on a regular basis in the privacy of their own home. We’ve found that patients who use telemedicine often take better care of themselves and therefore there is a greater degree of preventative medicine.”
Telemedicine technology is mostly used in a clinical setting for patients who seek a routine physical examination. However, patients can also have immediate access to a physician from their homes.
“People have been doing this for decades and it has proven to be a very pleasing and highly acceptable way to get care,” Woodburn says.
A routine medical examination at a telemedicine office costs about the same as one in a doctor’s office – and you don’t have to spend time in a waiting room. Linkous believes that Telemedicine can lower the cost of heath care for the patient, physician and health insurance company.
Originally intended to provide medical services to people in remote areas, telemedicine technology can now also be accessed from the workplace, schools and correctional facilities. Telemedicine vans can travel anywhere, including places that may need emergency care and services in the wake of a natural disaster. Also, physicians conducting clinical research can exchange diagnostic evaluations or share patient records with other specialists anywhere in the world.
Starting in 2010, hospitals and doctors will be will required to file their medical records electronically.
For a fee, a service called MediConnectGlobal can update medical records worldwide and add them to a patient’s profile who are registered on the site. The profile includes a history of medical conditions, prescription drugs and current and past lab results. However, this service isn’t covered under the Health Insurance Portability Act and opponents argue that those who participate may be forfeiting their privacy.
Another service, MDLiveCare, allows patient’s to schedule a consultation with a health care provider, (including mental health care providers) through a webcam. But telemedicine is also expanding beyond the computer.
“There are a number of companies coming up with health care applications for cell phones,” says Linkous. “Currently Apple’s iPhone has 17,000 applications related to health care and health care monitoring. And that is just the tip of the iceberg of what’s coming up next.”
In June 2009, Verizon wireless partnered with LifeWatch Services Inc., a company that specializes in patient monitoring services, and launched a new remote monitoring service for cardiac patients.
In addition to this, the Food and Drug Administration recently approved a HealthPal application for consumers. It’s a portable device that utilizes wireless blue tooth technology to transmit data directly to your doctor. It collects the data from glucose and blood pressure monitors, pulse measuring devices and weight scales.
