Telemedicine (also sometimes called telehealth) services are a way to deliver healthcare services locally to a patient when the healthcare provider is located at a distant site. Telemedicine is generally defined as the use of electronic information and communications technology to exchange medical information from one site to another site to provide medical or surgical treatment to a patient and/or to participate in the medical diagnosis of, or medical opinion or medical advice to, a patient. 

When a healthcare provider believes a patient may benefit from the use of telemedicine services, telemedicine can maintain a continuity of care with the provider and facilitate patient self-management and caregiver support of the patient. Telemedicine services often provides a broader access to medical care, eliminates transportation concerns, and increases comfort and familiarity for patients and their families when located in their own homes or other local environments. 

However, telemedicine uses new communications technology for which there is little research supporting its effectiveness. For example, telemedicine services may not be as complete as in-person healthcare services because the healthcare provider will not always be able to observe subtle non-verbal communications such as a patient's posture, facial expression, gestures, and tone of voice. 

Telemedicine may transfer medical information through the use of interactive, real-time audio/visual technology (for example, video conferencing) or electronic data interchange (for example, computer-to-computer exchanges), or it may transfer medical information through the use of store-and-forward technology (for example, emails). While precautions are taken to secure the confidentiality of telemedicine services, the electronic transmission of medical information can be incomplete, lost or otherwise disrupted by technical failures. Additionally, despite such measures, the transmission and storage of medical information can be accessed by unauthorized persons, causing a breach of the patient's privacy. 

• Allowing you to stay comfortable, calm, and relaxed
• Allowing you to more easily work the appointment into your schedule
• Avoiding potentially long drives from your home to the clinic

Telemedicine appointments are secure, so you can be confident that your information is all safe as you have your evaluation, and that you’re getting the same quality care you would in the office.

Some state laws require that insurers pay the same amount for video visits done via telemedicine as they do for an in-person encounter, while others leave the decision about how much the provider will be paid up to the insurer. The good news is that even in states without these parity laws, many insurers recognize the value of telemedicine and have decided to cover video visits on their own even in states that do not require it. So even if your state does not have a law regarding telemedicine, it is still a good idea to check with your insurance company to see if your appointment is covered.

For medicare patients, CMS released guidance on March 17, 2020, that allows medicare patients to be seen via live video conferencing in their homes. Click HERE for more information.

Patients will need:

1. Computer, smartphone or tablet device with an integrated camera and microphone.
     -  If your device doesn't have a built-in microphone or webcam, you'll need to get those. 
   
   
2. Decent internet connection that allows you to stream video. 
     - Check your wireless connection is strong enough. Your internet speeds should be at least 15mbps for uploads and 5mbps for downloads. 
   
   NOTE:  You can check your internet speed by going to speedtest.net and click "Begin test."

If your visit is interrupted for any reason, the provider can use this number to call you back and finish your conversation.

If you have additional questions regarding telemedicine, contact our office and we'll reach out to you.