Telemedicine in Rural Areas - Health Informatics Presentation

2. Telemedicine: “the
use of medical
information
exchanged from
one site to another
via electronic
communications to
improve a patient’s
clinical health
status”

3. PURPOSE OF TELEMEDICINE
• Improved Outcomes for patients
• Lower Costs for patients and
providers
• Increased Access to care
• Increased Quality of care

4. HOW TELEMEDICINE IS UTILIZED
• Two-way Video – patient-to-physician and physician-tophysician
• Email – communication between patients and physicians
• Smart phones
• IPads
• Computers
• Remote Monitoring Devices
• Typically used for patients and physicians to monitor
recurring conditions

5. RURAL POPULATIONS
Providing
specialty care to
rural populations
is difficult:
•
Lack of specialists
available
•
Lack of medical
technology or
facilities needed
•
•
Limited hours for
appointments
•
Lack of after-hours
care
•
Distance from
facility
•
Lack of ability to get
to doctor’s office or
hospital
Long wait times

7. HOW TELEMEDICINE WOULD HELP RURAL
POPULATIONS AND OUR HOSPITAL
• Increased Patient Satisfaction
• Access to speaking with physicians – email, video
conferencing, standing telemed appointments
• Remote Monitoring
• Technology in the home that monitors certain conditions on
a day-to-day basis in order to send that information to the
physician directly from the home of the patient
• Beneficial for chronic conditions – CHF, Diabetes,
Hypertension

8. HOW TELEMEDICINE WOULD HELP RURAL
POPULATIONS AND OUR HOSPITAL
• Keep medical talent
• Oftentimes recruiting and keeping physicians in rural areas
is difficult. Providing increased access to consultations and
involvement with specialists and metro-area hospitals
allows physicians to interact and work with other specialists
and areas of the state/country
• Positive Patient Outcomes
• Increased access to specialty care  positive outcomes

9. HOW TELEMEDICINE WOULD HELP RURAL
POPULATIONS AND OUR HOSPITAL
• Increased Access to Specialty Care
• Physicians are able to meet with other physicians on the
phone or via videoconferencing to discuss complex cases
• Patients can Consult with Specialists
• Don’t have to leave hospital to go see a specialist
elsewhere – keep business in-house

10. HOW TELEMEDICINE WOULD HELP RURAL
POPULATIONS AND OUR HOSPITAL
• Decreased Cost
• Enables preventative medicine (remote monitoring)
• Costs aren’t high due to emergency visits and hospital
stays due to constant monitoring, communication and
access to specialists
• Fewer readmission penalties

11. DRAWBACKS
• Startup costs can
be expensive
• Willingness of
providers and
patients to use the
technology
• Loss of face-to-face
contact between
physician and
patient