Page 22 - Part 1 Introduction to Telemedicine

SVMIC Introduction to Telemedicine

The universe of proven and potential applications of e-

communication in healthcare is constantly expanding. Following
are some illustrations across a range of uses, including both

provider-patient and provider-provider formats. Again, some of
these activities are telemedicine, and some are not.

E-Visits

Employers (especially with self-funded insurance) and patients are

sharply aware of the inefficiency of travel to physician offices for
minor acute illnesses. A simple UTI or sinusitis that might entail 10

minutes of provider time can amount to a half day off work when

travel, waiting, lab and pharmacy are involved. This represents
serious lost productivity for businesses and often requires workers

to use limited sick leave. Some patients need to arrange childcare,
transportation and other support services that are invisible to

providers but meaningfully impactful for patients. A proportion of

after-hours and Emergency Department visits can be directly
attributed to patient’s reluctance (or inability) to schedule physical

office visits. E-visits for common conditions that don’t always
depend on physical examinations are well accepted by patients

and increasingly covered by payors. A virtual physician network

with several hundred practitioners lists top conditions treated as
acute bronchitis, cough, sinusitis, acute pharyngitis, acute cystitis,

urinary tract infection, abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, acute
conjunctivitis, painful urination, influenza, respiratory infection,

headache and smoking cessation.
9

Rural Access

The burden of distance is a critical factor in rural healthcare.
Direct-to-patient services like e-visits, telepsychiatry and welfare

9 https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/833254_1 [7/16/18]

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