#61 - What is Telemedicine

Telemedicine is a subset of telehealth. It refers to practicing patient care via a digital platform instead of the provider and patient being physically together. Generally, this is a video visit via a device that connects to the internet such as a computer, tablet, or smartphone.

There are a number of benefits to using telemedicine: 

1. Telemedicine eliminates the spread of infectious diseases from both patient to patient and patient to healthcare provider & staff.
2. Telemedicine saves time by being able to schedule in more convenient blocks.
3. It reduces overhead costs.
4. It increases patient access to care by removing barriers such as transportation, being too impaired to come into the office, or being in a rural area.

While there are certainly benefits of telemedicine, there are some possible cons that should be considered:

1. Not all patients have access to the technology needed to conduct a telemedicine visit.
2. You don’t have as much control over their environment. 
3. There’s a possibility of cybersecurity issues. 
4. Some patients may be confused or overwhelmed by the technology.

Now that we’ve weighed the pros and cons, you can decide for yourself whether telemedicine is appropriate for your practice. 

Learn more in this webinar replay: Leveraging Telemedicine for Concussion Care.