What Is Telemedicine, Exactly? Here’s What You Need to Know

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Modern technology has brought many advancements in the ways people receive medical treatment. Telemedicine is one of these advancements. With telemedicine patients can seek treatment remotely.

If you’ve asked yourself the question, “What is telemedicine?”, keep reading to find out.

What Is Telemedicine Healthcare?

Telemedicine is the delivery of remote healthcare or “healing from a distance” that uses technology to provide clinical services to remote patients. Doctors can use this software to share digital images and perform video consultations.

Patients no longer have to travel to the doctor’s office; they can receive treatment from the comfort of their home with the use of reliable video and audio connections.

There are three main types of telemedicine which include:

Interactive Medicine

This service allows doctors and patients to communicate in real-time while keeping to HIPPA guidelines.

Store and Forward

This service lets providers share patients’ information with a practitioner in a different location.

Remote Patient Monitoring

This method lets remote caregivers monitor their patients from a distance. This is convenient for those who live at home and need a follow-up without going to the doctor’s office. They can use their mobile device to collect medical data.

How Is Telemedicine Set Up?

For clinics or practitioners that want to use telemedicine services, they need to purchase a basic HIPPA compliant video conference software. With this software, they can host consultations.

Hospitals need software that will fit with their current workflow. The best telemedicine software has an online waiting room, payment functions, and EHR.

Health organizations will need to adapt and understand the legalities, regulations of incorporating telemedicine into their day-to-day. Practitioners might partner with a telemedicine company to help them implement the software.

How Is Telemedicine Conducted?

There are several ways in which telemedicine is used. The most common is through a typical video call. These calls are secured with a HIPAA compliant video conference tool.

Physicians can also conduct an online conference with the help of portable telemedicine kits. These kits come with mobile medical devices, a computer, and vital signs monitors. High-resolution digital cameras make diagnosis even easier.

Some software provides everything a physician needs. These include data storage and live video conferencing.

How Does Telemedicine Benefit Patients?

Telemedicine gives patients access to a physician without leaving their homes. Elderly patients can use telemedicine software to stream an appointment instead of traveling. Exposure to disease is reduced as sick patients keep their contagious disease out of public.

Patients can avoid taking time off work for a doctor’s appointment and instead, opt for an online meeting during their work break. These are some of the many benefits of this technology.

Make Telemedicine Part of Your Practice

If you’re interested in telemedicine and how it can benefit your patients, we invite you to learn more on our website.

We have clients all over the country and are always on hand to help you with the process of integrating telemedicine into your practice. Contact us today to get started.