Page 37 - Telemedicine - Essentials of Virtual Care Delivery Part Two

SVMIC Telemedicine: Essentials of Virtual Care Delivery

Conclusion

Communication is critical to effective healthcare. Telemedicine,
or telehealth, is just a logical extension of the electronic network

that has become pervasive throughout the world. In its early
days, the idea of a “TV doctor” was a novelty, and regulators

and payors struggled to differentiate television medicine from
the “regular” kind and build standards for it. This narrow view

utterly failed to anticipate the explosion of applications that has
erupted from a pool of creative developers and the speed of

their adoption.

Law always lags technology. Once again, we are dealing with

regulatory mechanisms and rules meticulously negotiated to
solve problems that society has already progressed beyond.

As we think collectively about the implications of merging
e-communication into the medical workflow, we will need to

adapt technical, legal, and administrative processes to deal with
the benefits and hazards this will bring.

With robust preparation and training, telemedicine can bring

many benefits to a busy medical practice and advance the
quality of patient care. Taking steps to align your practice’s goals

with implementation of telemedicine should limit the barriers to
success.

At a minimum, ensure you have covered all the following:
13

• Basics of professionalism and communication

• Awareness of standards of care

• Examination basics

13 “Teaching Telemedicine”, Peter Greenwald, MD, and Neel Naik, MD, Weill Cornell Medicine,
presented virtually for the MPL Association Claims/Risk Workshop, October 1, 2020.

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