What is telemedicine? This is a very common question posed by many who are new to this new medical phenomenal.

Telemedicine can be described as the use of modern technology like internet to deliver medical services, exchange health information and provide health education at a different locations. Generally, telemedicine has the potential to provide better access of medical services for patients through out of office visits. Telemedicine comes with a lot of advantages such as saving time and money travelling, enabling health givers to reach the patient in their homes, the availability of needed expertise to a particular case and so on and so forth.

Some of the examples where telehealth is applied include, home monitoring, teleradiology (where test results are shared electronically) and continuing medical attention by using presentations and webinars.

Telemedicine is usually divided in two categories namely real-time communication and store and forward communication. Real time communication involves a patient and a doctor in different locations communicating through a live video or audio link. While Store and forward category involve the transmission of digital clinical images such as radiology and dermatology via electronic means in different time intervals.

Telemedicine has shown great advancement in preventive medicine and in the treatment of chronic conditions, however, its use is still being limited by current technology capacities, federal and state policies governing privacy and security of medical information and reimbursement policies.

Telemedicine attorneys have the work cut out for them in making sure their clients understand and comply with the following requirements:

Licensure: Thetenth Amendment reserved this power to the states, different states have different ways of licensing health care and telemedicine attorneys should be conversant with this ways and advice their clients on the requirements and regulations before undertaking practice.

Reimbursement: Issue relating to new technology reimbursement, medical reimbursement and private and payer reimbursement. Generally, telemedicine attorneys should be able to advice their clients on the extent third party payers can determine what they want to cover and the extent of the coverage depending on the state laws and regulations.

Liability: Issue of who owes the patient duty care and standard care should be well addressed by Telemedicine attorneys to enhance smooth flow of the medical service without hitches and legal outcomes.

Telemedicine growth projections are optimistic, predicted using the increasing demand for remote medical care. In fact, you don’t have to live in a remote area in order to use telemedicine services.