Telemedicine is defined as the use of medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic communication to help improve patients’ health care status. It’s a tool that enables health care providers and purchasers provide and receive health care services from and to distant locations. There are over 200 telemedicine programs throughout the country, involving many medical institutions ( Wager, Lee, & Glaser, 2017). They provide services such as: specialists referral services, patient consultation and patient monitoring. If embraced, telemedicine can revolutionize health care as it is currently but not without its share of challenges.
Application methods
Telemedicine can be administered through various flexible and technologically savvy ways. It can be provided through phone conversations between the provider and the purchaser of the service, making it highly effective and flexible. In the 21st Century where everyone can have access to a phone, a patient can simply call their doctor and explain the experienced symptoms from the comfort of their house and get prescription or the next advice by the doctor.
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Advantages of Telemedicine
Telemedicine has made specialized care accessible to rural and underserved communities. Through telemedicine patients from regions without or with few specialists can easily access specialized treatment like folks from more medically advanced regions. It has enabled patients from far flank areas and less developed region access quality health care services without having to travel (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, 2017). This has made it possible for them to cut travel costs and still get quality health care.
Telemedicine has improved the quality of health care to patients with chronic diseases .By easing their travel challenges in their conditions and allowing them access to a wide range of experts, their pain has been eased. Videoconferencing has enhanced the availability and use psychiatric services for patients in remote and rural areas (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, 2017). Remote surgery has also given local communities access to top surgeons in the world. The possibilities with telemedicine are endless however, it is not without its challenges and the challenges are daunting.
Challenges for Application of Telemedicine
One of the greatest challenges for telemedicine lies in its cost. All of its implementation and maintenance costs are on the provider while the services are enjoyed by the purchaser. The high costs negatively impact on productivity in the initial months of installation. Estimates cost of acquiring the and installing an EMR system ranges from $ 15,000 to $ 50,000. With 15 to 20% of the acquisition price required for maintenance (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, 2017).
Data standards and, and lack of universal reimbursement for telemedicine services from private payers are still a barrier to the widespread use of telemedicine. Its cost effectiveness to the health care organization has not been proven yet (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, 2017). It also still faces challenges of provider acceptance: overall confidentiality and; liability challenges. Interstate and country licensure, various states have different regulations governing telemedicine and all these regulations differ from one state to the next making providers risk burns and even revocation of their practicing licenses.
Telemedicine can revolutionize health care industry, but the various states must all regularize their laws enabling the effective practice of telemedicine. The use of EMR systems must be encouraged in all health care providing organizations and a way to give incentives to organizations already using the systems found. This would help encourage other organizations to embrace the use of EMR systems. Through these efforts, health care will be affordable and easily accessible; also patient records will be better stored and easily shared. The management of health care organizations will also benefit by being able to monitor their costs and billing procedures effectively.
Reference
Wager, Lee, & Glaser, (2017). Health care Information Systems- A practical Approach for Health Care Management, 2 nd Edition
