Introduction
Telemedicine involves the use of electronic communications to enable health care providers at a different physical location to care for patients in a secure manner. The purpose of telemedicine is to improve patient care. The sharing of medical information between patient and provider may be used for diagnosis, therapy, follow-up and/or education, and may include the following:
— live two-way audio and video
— medical images
Electronic systems used will incorporate network and software security protocols to protect the confidentiality of patient identification and imaging data and will include appropriate measures to safeguard the data and to ensure its integrity against intentional or unintentional corruption.
Expected Benefits:
— improves access to medical care by enabling a patient to remain in his/her home while the physician obtains history of present concerns and reviewed information to make informed decisions for the management of disease
— More efficient medical evaluation and management
Possible Risks:
As with any medical procedure, there are potential risks associated with the use of telemedicine. These risks include, but may not be limited to:
— In rare cases, information obtained may not be sufficient (e.g. poor video resolution) to allow for appropriate medical decision making by the physician;
— Delays in medical evaluation and treatment could occur due to deficiencies or failures of the equipment;
— In exceptionally rare instances, security protocols could fail, causing a breach of privacy of personal medical information. The video and audio encounters are in NO way recorded or stored. The notes typed by the physician from your visits will be recorded in our electronic health record system in the same fashion as in-person office visits.