Polycom Telemedicine (Andy G / Flickr)

Telemedicine is now “mainstream,” reports Medical Economics writer, Beth Thomas Hertz.

Citing a report from InMedica, Hertz explains that, ” 308,000 patients around the world were monitored remotely by providers in 2012 for congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, hypertension and mental health conditions.”

And that’s just the beginning.

The number of virtual patients is expected to balloon to 1.8 million in the next four years.

Telemedicine Uses

Telemedicine can be defined as video conferencing with a patient through HIPAA approved telemedicine kits, mobile monitoring devices, use of electronic medical data, or accessing information from a smartphone app.

Kim Dunn, MD, explains to Hertz that in her Bellaire, Texas practice, “Telemedicine is fundamentally about communication, and that’s how we use it.”

Telemedicine uses are expanding with the desire to reduce costs by remotely:

• Tracking disease progression
• Sharing specialists
• Monitoring chronic conditions to avoid emergency room visits
• Reading radiology diagnostic tests
• Monitoring and coordinating treatment plans

How to Become a Telemedicine Provider

Hertz’s article is a great resource to learn:

• Pitfalls to avoid
• How to become a provider
• How to get started
• Reimbursement for services

A lot of helpful tips are included like being aware of technology compatibility issues, how to become a medical consultant through a telehealth network, overcoming training obstacles, and more.

Via Medical Economics

How would you rather spend your time online if you had a health concern; searching WebMD or speaking with a real doctor through video conferencing?

MobiHealthNews writer Jonah Comstock posted an article today, Five Reasons Virtual Doctor Visits Might Be Better Than In-Person Ones, showing how video conferencing is growing in popularity for healthcare uses:

1. Convenient for both patient and doctor
2. A virtual waiting room is better than the physical one
3. Increased patient engagement thanks to screensharing
4. More convenient, automatic record-keeping
5. Patients feel like doctors pay better attention to them during virtual visits

Virtual Checkups Save Time, More Comfortable

Video conferencing used to be expensive but now it can easily be done via your laptop, tablet, and even smartphones.

The benefits of virtual doctor visits are the same whether you’re in a rural area or if the doctor’s office is down the street.  It’s going to save you time and be more comfortable.

You won’t have to leave work for extended periods of time, you can wait in your house instead of a waiting room, and you may find that your doctor pays more attention to you.

Telemedicine Kits and Kiosks

Comstock reported that health kiosks are now being developed that perform virtual visits where “a doctor can listen to a patient’s heartbeat, take their blood pressure, and look in their ear with a connected otoscope, to name just a few devices.”

Generally speaking, a doctors office can use something like VoIP Supply’s HIPAA approved telemedicine kit and all you’ll need is a strong internet connection and a good webcam.

It’s the doctor’s responsibility, Comstock notes, to use a video service that is “HIPAA compliant to protect patient medical information — but nonetheless virtual visits are gaining popularity as a new way to deliver healthcare.”

Via MobiHealthNews