HCAD PowerPoint Discussion 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

HCAD PowerPoint Discussion 1 - Essay Example Commonly used telemedicine applications and services include bi-directional video, smart phones, email, and wireless tools among others. Within the medical field, telemedicine is not a different specialty. Instead, telemedicine is an instrument responsible for expanding traditional medical practice beyond the obvious medical practice walls to offering actual medical services remotely through technology (American Telemedicine Association, 2006, p. 3). Consequently, telemedicine promotes increased consumer participation in medical decision making, and offers novel means of sustaining healthy living. Quality patient care attainment is promoted through qualified doctors with experience in diagnostic examination using remote technologies and who work with geographically located health care delivery teams comprising of providers with varying backgrounds for coordinated health services delivery (Masys, 2002). Telemedicine health services include specialist referrals, remote patient monitoring, provision of consumer health and medical information, direct patient care, and medical mentoring and education. Increased access and cost reduction results from patient direction to monitoring centers that allow patient to retain autonomous lifestyles; use of private networks to facilitate point to point connections between hospitals and independent medical providers; interlinked programs connecting community health centers to tertiary care hospitals; and connections between health providers and homes through phone-video services (American Telemedicine Association, 2006, p. 4). Web-based e-health patient service sites offer direct services over the internet. Although health Information Technology focuses more on electronic medical records and associated information systems, it greatly enhances the use of Telemedicine. Consequently, the activities and goals of telemedicine complement synergize those of health information technology resulting