“The whole concept of telemedicine is to utilize experience from a centralized location,” says Dr. Sybert. “We have a vision for where we might like to go with telemedicine, bringing our hospitalist group’s experience with managed correctional care to prison units throughout the state.”
Whether it is bringing intensivist care to a critically ill patient, providing therapy sessions to patients in rural areas, or delivering the expertise of hospitalists, telemedicine technology is likely to play an ever-increasing role in healthcare. Dr. Hammack believes telemedicine will be used more and more as care providers and administrators find the right balance between technology and touch.
“It can be difficult to figure out how telemedicine can fit into the way hospitals do things. But it can fit in and does so very well. Technologies like these have the promise to provide support and result in better quality of care for patients,” he says.
Donya Hengehold is freelance medical journalist.
References
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