Are rural communities the only beneficiaries of telemedicine?
Rural and other isolated communities are major beneficiaries of telemedicine, but they are not the only ones. The VA, for example, provides a variety of telehealth services for veterans, which range from “virtual visits” to home health services, to store-and-forward functions. Health care facilities in any area also could take advantage of telemedicine to tap into the expertise of specialists in other regions. The PeaceHealth Medical Group, a health system in the Pacific Northwest, first implemented telemedicine services to expand outpatient geriatrics, and has since expanded its offering to cover stroke services and pediatric intensive care. In urban and suburban areas, meanwhile, patients with chronic conditions could benefit from remote patient monitoring technologies, which allow them to be at home while still being under a provider’s care. For example, common complications of heart failure, such as weight gain or a change in fluid levels, can be instantly detected, with medication
