telemedicine defined diagnosis, consultation, treatment, education and the transfer of medical data...
TRANSCRIPT
Telemedicine Defined
• Diagnosis, consultation, treatment, education and the transfer of medical data using interactive audiovisual and data communications
• Use of electronic communication and information technologies to provide or support clinical care at a distance
• Telehealth
Health Care Revolution
• Information technology progress is not as rapid as other industries – financial and human resources deficiencies in
health care
• Most dollars are directed toward medical resources – attracting and keeping IT talent is particularly
difficult for the health care industry
Health Care Revolution
• Most medical establishments spend only 2 to 3 percent of the operations budget on IT functions – traditional attitudes about IT and care giving.
• Most now operate a public web site and intranets – 92% have informational sites on the web– 20% are participating in extranets or supply chain
networks– 15% are offering only enterprise portals
Source: Transformation of the Enterprise Survey; Internet Week, 2000.
Health Care Revolution
• Use of the Web by health care consumers will increase – WebMD and DrKoop.com
• Consumers are more likely to consult their local doctor or hospital than to seek advice online
• Opportunity for regional health care providers – Partners HealthCare System Inc
Health Care Revolution
• Don’t expect to turn a profit on their web based patient services. – to improve service to the provider’s community
• Hospitals and physicians are using web technology to communicate with one another – Amicas Inc– Second-Opinion.com
Establishing A Telemedicine Program• Successful telemedicine programs
– careful planning, – sound management, – dedicated health care professionals, support
staff– commitment to appropriate funding
Establishing A Telemedicine ProgramProgram objectives of telemedicine need to be
well defined(1) Improve access to health care
(2) Enhance a competitive position
(3) Reduce costs
Establishing A Telemedicine ProgramProgram objectives of telemedicine need to bewell defined
(1) Improve access to health care • service availability in remote or difficult to operate
environments • improving access to specialty services • Allows development of local primary care health
centers supported by regional diagnostic centers and hospitals
– State of Alaska north of the Artic Circle
Establishing A Telemedicine ProgramProgram objectives of telemedicine need to bewell defined
(2) Enhance a competitive position• Expand the sponsors market zone to increase
business opportunities • Academic medical centers to support local health
care providers• Increase loyalty of high-volume physicians, e.g.
with ease of access to data from their homes while on-call or in their practice
Establishing A Telemedicine ProgramProgram objectives of telemedicine need to be
well defined(3) Reduce costs
• home care providers
• Prisons
Technology Required
• Integration of medical devices – interface between the caregiver and the patient
• Network computing – permit the storage of data– facilitate the transfer of the desired data
• Video conferencing – transmit sound and data on a real time basis
Technology Required
• Software issues – application software
• Device interfaces – assure the flow of information
• Telecommunications options – originating site (live vs. storage) – high bandwidth
Technology Required
• Selecting technology vendors – expertise/experience with telemedicine– provide support– firm that will be around
Can Telemedicine Deliver?
• Many projects underway– emergency telemedicine - video images, audio,
vital signs and ECG rhythm strips transmitted – Yordano - deformed skull with only one eye,
mild MR, and swallowing difficulties; met every other month through videoconferencing
– better digital stethoscopes, and haptic glove not far ahead
Can Telemedicine Deliver?
• Northeast Maine Telemedicine Network – 22 chronic heart and lung disease, terminal
cancer – examine the patients with a camera and
transmitted stethoscope sounds as needed – problems reported by the users were minor
technical glitches
Can Telemedicine Deliver?
• Perhaps telemedicine’s most powerful use is international – dramatically speed up the process of spreading medical knowledge.
• Example: Medical Missions has sessions in auditoriums where hundreds of doctors can hear from a US physician
The Cost of Telemedicine
• Cost– Large sponsor
• $134,378 for "spoke" sites to $287,503 for "hub"
• annual transmission costs $18,573 for spokes to $80,068 for hubs
• costs, combined with low utilization in the early years of operation, yielded high unit costs
– Small sponsor• $15000 to $50000
The Cost of Telemedicine
Capital Item
Organizational Expense Legal Consulting Accounting Personnel
Equipment Telecom Video Conferencing Medical Devices Computers Monitors/Image Display Computer - Misc. Storage Devices Miscellaneous Equip. Office Equipment Maintenance
Software Software Maintenance
Installation Telecom Video Conferencing Computer Networking Medical Devices
Training
Occupancy Land Buildings Improvements Lease Leasehold Improvements
Your Telemedicine Program
Capital Budget
Implementation Date
The Cost of Telemedicine
Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month 10Revenue
Government Medicare Medicaid SSI Other
Insurance Fee for Service PPO HMO Worker's Comp. Auto/Casualty Other Private Pay Other
Expenses
Personnel Program Director Site Coordinator Medical Director Professional Clerical Tech Support Tech Services Training Other
Benefits Payroll Taxes - Fed. Payroll Taxes - State Payroll Taxes - Local Health/Dental Ins. Life Ins. Disability Ins. Pension Parking Other
Your Telemedicine Program
Operating Budget
The Cost of Telemedicine
• Additional personnel to the typical provider-patient encounter (engineer)
• Higher volume of data make securing the data more problematic
The Cost of Telemedicine
• Lack of guidelines and protocols can affect the safety and efficacy – technical - equipment needs to communicate
with other sites with image quality – educational – clinical practice standards - no specialty
generated standards, protocols or guidelines
The Cost of Telemedicine
• Telemedicine equipment is not as reliable– transmission must be foolproof
• Privacy– who has access to medical information and how
it is protected – unauthorized intrusion
The Cost of Telemedicine• Effectiveness of medical diagnoses
• Legal issues – Which states law governs teleconferencing
activities – Licensure – Sharing of liability in medical malpractice – Documentation
• control of the corresponding medical record
• what format (e.g., video, audio, paper, etc.)
The Cost of Telemedicine
• Reimbursement rules need to be clarified
• Joint Working Group on Telemedicine is a government-wide entity – developing specific actions to overcome
barriers to the effective use of telemedicine technologies.
Conclusion• Healthcare is in the midst of a technology
revolution, but it lags other industries.
• The are many forms of telemedicine
• Establishing a program requires thorough planning– especially cost and technologic considerations
• Many hurdles to overcome