In 1996, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released its report Telemedicine: A Guide to Assessing Telecommunications for Health Care. In that report, the IOM Committee on Evaluating Clinical Applications of Telemedicine found telemedicine is similar in most respects to other technologies for which better evidence of effectiveness is also being demanded. Telemedicine, however, has some special characteristics-shared with information technologies generally-that warrant particular notice from evaluators and decision makers. Since that time, attention to telehealth has continued to grow in both the public and private sectors. Peer-reviewed journals and professional societies are devoted to telehealth, the federal government provides grant funding to promote the use of telehealth, and the private technology industry continues to develop new applications for telehealth. However, barriers remain to the use of telehealth modalities, including issues related to reimbursement, licensure, workforce, and costs. Also, some areas of telehealth have developed a stronger evidence base than others. The Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) sponsored the IOM in holding a workshop in Washington, DC, on August 8-9 2012, to examine how the use of telehealth technology can fit into the U.S. health care system. HRSA asked the IOM to focus on the potential for telehealth to serve geographically isolated individuals and extend the reach of scarce resources while also emphasizing the quality and value in the delivery of health care services. This workshop summary discusses the evolution of telehealth since 1996, including the increasing role of the private sector, policies that have promoted or delayed the use of telehealth, and consumer acceptance of telehealth. The Role of Telehealth in an Evolving Health Care Environment: Workshop Summary discusses the current evidence base for telehealth, including available data and gaps in data; discuss how technological developments, including mobile telehealth, electronic intensive care units, remote monitoring, social networking, and wearable devices, in conjunction with the push for electronic health records, is changing the delivery of health care in rural and urban environments. This report also summarizes actions that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) can undertake to further the use of telehealth to improve health care outcomes while controlling costs in the current health care environment.

Telemedicineâ€"the use of information and telecommunications technologies to provide and support health care when distance separates the participantsâ€"is receiving increasing attention not only in remote areas where health care access is troublesome but also in urban and suburban locations. Yet the benefits and costs of this blend of medicine and digital technologies must be better demonstrated before today's cautious decision-makers invest significant funds in its development. Telemedicine presents a framework for evaluating patient care applications of telemedicine. The book identifies managerial, technical, policy, legal, and human factors that must be taken into account in evaluating a telemedicine program. The committee reviews previous efforts to establish evaluation frameworks and reports on results from several completed studies of image transmission, consulting from remote locations, and other telemedicine programs. The committee also examines basic elements of an evaluation and considers relevant issues of quality, accessibility, and cost of health care. Telemedicine will be of immediate interest to anyone with interest in the clinical application of telemedicine.

Learn how the future of medicine is being unlocked—one digital innovation at a time The Future of Health is an insightful and comprehensive overview of the past, present, and future of digital health. Accomplished health innovation leader Roberto Ascione delivers a practical exploration of how the latest digital technologies are transforming the practice of medicine and redefining health itself by making it more accessible, sustainable, and human. The book includes practical, real-world examples from the United States, Asia, and Europe of technology applications, companies, and start-up that have changed—or will change—our relationship with our health and the healthcare system. Readers will also find: How our health is becoming increasingly consumer and connected while technology is empowering patients in completely new ways and deeply transforming the doctor-patient relationship Discussions of how the training of medical professionals, particularly doctors, has changed—or needs to change—to meet the new digital reality Examinations of how new technologies will allow doctors to dodge many of the administrative and regulatory burdens they currently face each day Treatments of the ability of new technologies to unlock new, holistic ways of practicing medicine, with a focus on latest developments such as Digital Therapeutics and Virtual Reality Reflections on how digital health is fostering a shift “from cure to care” and will unleash a human-sized future for a more accessible, ubiquitous, and sustainable healthcare The Future of Health is required reading for medical practitioners and the managers of pharmaceutical companies. It will also earn a place in the libraries of medical device companies and healthcare entrepreneurs seeking an incisive treatment of the impact of digital technology on all aspects of healthcare. Also, the general public, interested in understanding how to take better control of their own health through digital technologies, will find this book insightful and easy to comprehend.

Offering significant benefits to both healthcare providers and patients, telehealth is a key component in the future of patient care across the entire medical community. Telemedicine covers the variety of telehealth services offered across different medical specialties, including those that are leading the way in telemedicine (such as pain management and urgent care) to those which are rapidly developing (such as telerehabilitation). This concise, focused reference covers the key information you need to know-from necessary equipment to the future of telehealth-with clear explanations of how you can best use telemedicine to provide timely, effective care to every patient. Provides an in-depth look at telemedicine across medical specialties written by experts in their own field. Covers telehealth in a wide range of medical areas including primary care, the ICU, psychiatry, dermatology, ophthalmology, rehabilitation, stroke, audiology, cariology, urgent care, dental care, and surgery. Includes chapters covering regulatory frameworks, setting up telehealth infrastructures, and remote patient monitoring. Discusses key provider considerations such as safety, emergency escalation, and more. Addresses current telehealth issues and the future of telehealth.

The need to promote academic activities in telehealth remains a high priority as the discipline expands into new areas of healthcare. Response during 2020 to the COVID-19 pandemic has provided an excellent example of the rapid diversification and impact attainable with telehealth, and may kindle a new momentum for accelerated service design and adoption processes in the future. This book, Telehealth Innovations in Remote Healthcare Services Delivery, is the tenth in the Global Telehealth series. Due to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions placed on academic gatherings, the organizers issued a general call for contributions, with the intention of attracting a wide cross-section of contributions reflecting the breadth of different aspects of telehealth internationally. The resulting collection offers snapshots of research projects and studies of service experience from five continents, with an emphasis on delivering benefits in regional settings in keeping with the theme of the book’s title. Articles range from descriptions of telehealth networks and clinical-service instances such as cardiac health, mental health and pathology, several in Pacific-rim settings, to more generic papers on the evolution of such services, as well as commentaries on innovative considerations for telehealth such as the emergence of the concept of virtual care, the suitability of health apps, and the status of eHealth readiness in the developing world. This book is a valuable contribution to the body of knowledge on current telehealth research interests and trends, and will be of interest to all those working in the field.

At last a comprehensive, easy-to-read book that explains telemedicine in understandable terms for the practitioners and consumers whose lives will be transformed by the convergence of computers and telecommunications in healthcare. If you need to understand telemedicine but get lost in the technical jargon of existing references, this is the resource for you.Beginning with a practical and future-oriented definition of telemedicine, the authors include dozens of leading-edge examples of telemedicine in practice to illustrate the diversity of this technology. Biographical sketches of telemedicine's pioneers are also presented to demonstrate the vitality and vision of health professionals who are leading the revolution.Major topics include: -- A look back from the virtual future to see what happened to healthcare over the next two decades-- Data and information technology -- the implementation of evidence-based medicine and the surprising future of managed care-- Clinical revolutions -- a review of signs that foretell the coming paradigm shift in healthcare-- History of telemedicine -- explorations of where we've been to show where we are likely to go-- Introduction to telemedicine systems -- a layperson's overview of the components and networks of telemedicine-- Human interfaces -- helpful hints for managers, developers, and clinicians who are responsible for implementing telemedicine-- Law and policy issues -- discussion of payment, interstate licensure, quality, and other unanswered questionsTelemedicine and the Reinvention of Healthcare shows how telemedicine will change virtually every aspect of traditional relationships between patients, practitioners, and healthcare organizations. It's essential reading for anyone who wants to stay ahead of the curve in preparing for 21st century healthcare