Benefits of Telehealth / Telemedicine?

TeleMedicine increases access to healthcare:

• Rural patients can more easily obtain specialty services.
• Rural patients can stay in their local communities and not travel long distances.
• Rural hospitals can provide a variety of specialty services to include, stroke, trauma, and intensive care services.
• Specialists and other healthcare providers are able to expand their “reach” through telemedicine.

TeleMedicine improves health outcomes:

• Patients can be diagnosed and treated earlier which can contribute to improved outcomes and less costly treatments.
• Patients with telemedicine supported ICU’s experience reduced mortality rates, reduced complications, and reduced hospital stays.

TeleMedicine reduces healthcare and other costs:

• Specialists “team up” with local healthcare providers to improve disease management and improved disease management reduces complications and hospitalizations.
• Nursing Home TeleMedicine reduces costly transports and unnecessary ED visits.
• High cost patient transfers for stroke and other emergencies are reduced.
• Home monitoring programs can reduce high cost hospital visits.
• Transportation savings to patients who would otherwise need to commute to an urban location.
• Missed work income savings to patients who would otherwise need to commute to an urban location.

TeleMedicine assists in addressing shortages of healthcare providers:

• Specialists and other healthcare providers can serve patients in remote, underserved areas using telemedicine.
• School based TeleHealth allows school nurses and other healthcare providers to serve more students at more locations.

TeleHealth supports clinical education programs:

• Rural healthcare providers can more easily obtain continuing education.
• Rural clinicians can more easily consult with specialists.