Pros And Cons Of Telemedicine

Remote medical technology has been shown to be an effective way to manage chronic conditions, assess and treat some acute conditions (i.e. acute ischemic strokes), and patients receive access to faster healthcare, which is a large factor in improved patient engagement and better outcomes with telemedicine. A public health crisis throughout North America dealing with opioid dependency, is in great need of a treatment that is convenient for patients, especially in rural areas and for patients who have no or not able to afford transportation. The Eilb et al., (2015) study was conducted with 58 clinics in Ontario, Canada, where patients were stratified by primary treatment into 3 groups: in-person ( (-- removed HTML --) 75% appointments were by

The continued use and advancements in telemedicine technology will allow providers to expand services offered, overcome the distance barriers, and help improve the health of everyone, especially the underserved populations. More preventative care and education is needed, however, with the continued healthcare cuts of hospital employees (downsizing), along with shortages of physicians, nurses, and other healthcare teams, the health of our nation will continue to worsen. Increasing access to care and expanding services offered, telemedicine providers are able to increase prevention care and help to decrease the severity of chronic diseases, and over sometime, decrease the overall cost of healthcare. In a randomized study by Jerant et al., (2008) the benefits of telemedicine with video-based home telecare for congestive heart failure (CHF) patients compared 3 post-hospitalization nursing care models to decrease CHF readmission charges during 180-days of follow-up. The follow-up included in-person visits at baseline and 60 days, then 1 of 3 care modalities: (a) video-based home telecare; (b) telephone calls; and (c) usual care (Jerant et al., 2008). According to Jerant et al., (2008) study, the CHF-related readmission charges were more than 80% lower in the home

You have to consumers (patients) who are willing to use the technology, healthcare providers and licensed workers willing to learn and use the technology, healthcare facilities willing to invest in the telemedicine technology, along with payors (i.e. CMS and private insurances) willing to pay or assist in paying for the telemedicine services. The primary stakeholders include government and nongovernment insurers, hospital administrators, and health practitioners, these all may be interested in the costs and benefits of these establishments to better inform their decisions. A previous study showed that telestroke networks were cost-effective in the long term from a societal perspective.