Primary Care Providers, Specialists And Telehealth

by - 5:12 PM

By Karen Hill


In most cases, when an individual talks about health care, it is about office visits and hospitalization. Currently, a new form of health care is taking the world by storm, that of Telehealth. For, the service involves access to health services and information through a number of different digital and telecommunication technologies.

Primary Care Providers, Specialists And Telehealth

With this new service, individuals can stay in contact with medical providers while also acquiring advice, education, intervention, being monitored and can be admitted to hospitals and rehabilitation from the comfort of home. In addition, providers can attend distance learning courses, supervise care, give presentations and attend meetings from anywhere in the world. Whereas, as the service also hosts online information and management systems, records can also be accessed from remote locations.

Other ways in which this service can be beneficial is in performing remote robotic surgeries, providing physical therapy via digital monitoring instruments and discussing cases via videoconferencing. Providers can also use this service as a means of on the spot consultations with higher level specialists by sharing MRIs, CT scans and X-rays.

A number of advances are being made in the medical community in preparation of population growth and aging. For, demands on the medical community will only continue to increase over time. As such, health care professionals are now being asked to do more in the way of care and services than ever before. Whereas, these individuals are also being asked to find new ways of funding, including changing the billing style from a fee for service basis to one which is based on patient outcome.

The reason for these individuals being asked to do so is due to an ongoing shortage of primary health care providers and specialists in the United States and the world at large. In fact, one of the hardest hit areas when it comes to specialists is that of speech and language therapists and pathologists. Whereas, in rural settings, the lack of transportation available to the disabled and elderly and the lack of staff at clinics and hospitals have resulted in decreased funding for care.

While telemedicine may be similar in scope, the Health Resources And Services Administration distinguishes the difference. For, according to the administration, telemedicine only describes remote clinical services such as monitoring and diagnosis while services provided by telecommunication devices include curative, promotional and preventive care. In most cases, this includes non-clinical applications such as provider education and administrative tasks which make services obtained through telecommunication services more preferable in the long run.

The history and development of both is deeply rooted in the development of society and the ongoing growth of technology. For, individuals have long been involved in the desire to relay important information from remote locations. In some cases, methods of doing so have included using torches, electroscopes, telegraphy, optical telegraphy, telegraphs, telegrams, telephones and mail.

The 20th and 21st century have paved the way for beepers, digital devices, including smart phones, notepads and laptops, all of are being used for electronic mail, video conferencing, chatting, tweeting and telephone conversations. In addition, video sites such as YouTube are now playing an integral role in training individuals in a number of areas, including the medical profession. As such, tele-health may just be the beginning of a new phase of digital technology used by clinics, hospitals, primary care providers, specialists, patients and others.




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