The Affordable Care Act Of The United States

Telehealth has become a preferred method of healthcare delivery for many patients and healthcare professionals alike. Some key benefits include its convenience and cost effectiveness. It also allows patients to play a more active role in their own healthcare, which has been found to dramatically increase patient outcomes. While research suggests that the advantages of telehealth outweigh the disadvantages, it is important to note that not everyone would benefit from this form of technology. It is crucial for the patient’s healthcare team to assess if this method of healthcare delivery is appropriate for that individual patient. In today’s society, staying current on the latest technologies is extremely important. Although telehealth

The author Carolyn Hutcherson , RN, MS, specializes in health care regulatory issues with special emphasis on licensure and credentialing, telehealth and e-health. She examines the complexity of the legal and regulatory bodies to understand and

Telehealth is the monitoring via remote exchange of physiological data between a patient at home and health care professionals at hospitals or clinics to assist with diagnosis and treatment. As our society ages and health care costs increase, government and private insurance payers are seeking technological interventions. Technological solutions may provide high quality healthcare services at a distance, utilize professional resources more effectively, and enable elderly and ill patients to remain in their own homes. Patients may experience decreased hospitalization and urgent care settings, and out of home care may not be required as the patient is monitored at home. However, no study has been able to prove telehealth

One key argument that Cason makes is the transition away from a fee for service model, to a more patient centered model of healthcare. The Triple Aim sums up the patient centered model of care well. Further, Cason provides examples of how telemedicine is highlighted throughout the Affordable Care Act legislation as a viable means toward improving access to care, along with being a cost effective way to involve patients in their care. Lastly, there are numerous quality examples from the VA on the success of telemedicine. Other studies to date have not shown the cost savings that telemedicine has promised. However, one thing that has been repeated time and time again is increased patient satisfaction, and patient engagement in their care. Cason shows this to be true again in this article. The viability of telemedicine as a collaborative tool, used for engaging patients who lack access to care, along with those who are not engaged in disease management appears to be sound. Cason strengthens this argument, and helps strengthen the research question for this capstone

Innovations in technology can have a direct impact on our collective way of life. Indeed, the most compelling of technology innovations are those that can be used to improve the quality of human life. This is especially the case in fields such as healthcare and medicine. Fundamental to the functionality of modern society and yet plagued by critical needs and problematic realities, these are areas in which emerging technologies already coming into market readiness may be pushed into practice by virtue of their paired economic viability and social responsibility. So is this the case with telecommunications in healthcare, an area in which we are gradually verging on solutions for many of the geographical, physical and financial obstacles that have limited are ability to treat patients. According to Lin, (1999), "telemedicine enables a physician or specialist at one site to deliver health care, diagnose patients, give intra-operative assistance, provide therapy, or consult with another physician or paramedical personnel at a remote site. Thus, the aim of telemedicine is to provide expert-based health care to understaffed remote sites and to provide advanced emergency care through modern telecommunication and information technologies." (p. 28) Especially in hospital settings, these technologies have the capacity to reduce the expenditure of resource and labor during the treatment process. These features make the

Watching the video of telemedicine truly opened my eyes to the new stages and advances of technology and medicine. This is the first time I have heard of telemedicine I think this is a great step moving forward in the healthcare field. I used the textbook to find and understand the meaning of telemedicine “remote consultation by patients with physicians or other health professionals via telephone, closed-circuit television, or the Internet” (Judson, 2016). With telemedicine, it can improve health, reduce cost, and access to care in rural and urban areas. The only downside to telemedicine is the common issue with technology, such as downtime, power shortages or power outages.

There are different ways you can look at telemedicine from a patient’s perspective. You could examine healthcare accessibility, cost, or you could look at quality of care. Also, the expectations of healthcare are changing among younger populations with online healthcare accessibility and opportunities.

Often the biggest barriers to accessing healthcare are cost and location. Lower income individuals just do not have the resources to have optimal healthcare, or cannot take the time away from employment to deal with health issues. One potential solution to help with these problems could be “telehealth.” Telehealth allows a lower level healthcare practitioner to communicate with a physician or specialists when necessary. Remote rural areas use a Physician Assistant or a Nurse Practitioner on location in remote areas.

In 2010 a study was completed in the state of California in order to evaluate the efficacy of telemedicine to reduce barriers to healthcare in rural populations (Ritter, L., Robinette, T., & Cofano, J., 2010). The assessment was made in 33 counties throughout California and was accomplished through patient satisfaction survey. The ultimate result of the survey was that telemedicine can improve access to care for people in rural settings, along with those who live in situations that make it difficult to access care.

That 's not surprising. Health networks face a panoply of problems which telemedicine promises to alleviate, if not eliminate: an inability to reach undeserved populations, rising costs, high rates of readmission, and a shortfall of physicians top the list. But telemedicine is far from a silver bullet. Disparate laws across states inconsistently address the handling of licensure and insurance, and even the fundamentals of telemedicine – for example, the breadth of its encompassment – are still the subject of debate.

[3] Practitioners using telehealth technology have witnessed improved outcomes among underserved groups. Telemedicine has also allowed specialists to treat patients suffering from chronic conditions, such as congestive heart failure, diabetes and obstructive pulmonary disease, while reducing expenses. The positive benefits will grow drastically as more care providers adopt the technology to treat chronic illnesses, which generate around 75-percent of all health care expenses.

“ Promoting, empowering and facilitating health and wellbeing with individuals, families and communities, and the development of specialized practice through the use of information management and information and communication technology is the main role that is played by EHealth which is an aspect of health care ” (RCN ehealth strtegic plan, 2013)

Hospitals initially used telemedicine to reach remote areas, but since then, utilization has spread and telemedicine is now an integral part of many health care organizations, in addition to consumer’s homes and workplaces.

Developing the business model for telehealth products can be accomplished by measuring the needs of health care stakeholders to include physicians, hospitals, home care, hospice, and medical institutions against the expected outcome. The health care industry is fully aware of the implications of physician shortage, an increasing elderly population, and the prevalence of chronic disease in the population. Teladoc must develop telehealth product that generates cost-saving and minimize workload, while improving health care quality and patient

There is an increasing need within the U.S. for quality health care to be provided to individuals who have limited access whether it is due to a rural environment, disabilities, or in the field of battle. Telemedicine is literally medicine provided at a distance. Telehealth is able to alleviate some of the effects of a growing shortage of professionals such as primary care physicians. In this type of health care delivery, the dynamics between the patient and the entire health care system changes. Telemedicine meets the increasing demands of patients to have greater access, or responsiveness, from a health care provider. It also meets the needs of the provider who is very interested in time-saving, safety-enhancing assistance in their daily practice. Employers and health plans are also very interested in telemedicine as a means of improving compliance with treatment plans and care management initiatives (Hodgkins, 2008). The use of email also allows the patient to have increased access to their health care providers. Instead of calling their health care provider’s office, patients are now able to email their non-emergent health care questions to their provider. Conversely, health care providers are able to email patients reminders for appointments or wellness tips.