General Telemedicine
What is telemedicine?
Worldwide, people living in rural and remote areas struggle to access timely, quality
specialty medical care. Residents of these areas often have substandard access to
specialty health care, primarily because specialist physicians are more likely to be
located in areas of concentrated population.
Telemedicine
Report to Congress
As part of the sweeping Telecommunications Reform Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-104), Congress
asked the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human
Services and other appropriate departments and agencies, to submit a report on the use of
advanced telecommunications services for health care purposes.
An Evidence-Based Approach to Interactive Health Communication
Objective.—To examine the current status of interactive health communication (IHC)
and propose evidence-based approaches to improve the quality of such applications.
Health and Medicine on
the Internet
With the advancement of technology comes the inevitable combining of that technology with
other areas of knowledge. In few fields does the advent of the technological age bring so
many reasons for excitement and so many problems as in the field of medicine.
Medical Computing Today
Medical Computing Today (MCToday) is a computing and
related technologies site created for physicians and other health care professionals. Our goal is to present
information appropriate to all levels of computing expertise and for all types of academic
and clinical practice, while setting high standards for content and the application of Web
technology. Included is a combination of peer reviewed original articles, annotated
references to Web resources, and exchanges on medical computing by and among health care
professionals. All physicians and other health professionals with relevant experience or
expertise are invited to contribute.
The editorial content is and will remain free of special interest or commercial
influences.
Telemedicine
Programs
KU Medical Center
Telemedicine Program
Welcome to the KU Medical Center Telemedicine Program web
site. KU currently has over 40 professionals in over 15 specialties offering telemedicine
consults, clinics, and continuing education courses to over 20 different sites throughout
the state of Kansas.
Georgia Statewide
Academic and Medical System
One of the world's largest two-way interactive
videoconferencing networks, provides two-way audio and video capabilities to
over 400 participating sites.
University of Vermont
The Telemedicine Program at Fletcher Allen Health Care and the University
of Vermont serving rural Vermont
and northeastern New York represents a model program for the electronic delivery of
health care and medical education.
University of Virginia
Telemedicine and telehealth provide a technological leap into
21st century healthcare. Through the Commonwealth of Virginia
Telemedicine Network and other telecommunications networks, we provide clinical
consultative and medical education services to patients and health care professionals
remote from Charlottesville.
Telemedicine
at ECU
Telemedicine is a growing health care capability in rural
America. Telemedicine is also proving its value in prison and military hospitals. East
Carolina University School of Medicine began conducting telemedicine consultations in 1992
and to date have completed over 3,000 consultations in 34 different specialties of
medicine over its REACH-TV Network. Supporting telemedicine, distance learning and
continuing medical education, the REACH-TV Network is made up of ATM, T1, microwave, ISDN,
and POTS (plain old telephone service) communication links spread out over the state of
North Carolina.
The Rural
Health Care Cooperation; Administering the FCC Health Care Program
This Web Site will be one of the principal ways rural health care providers and
telecommunications carriers can learn about the RHCD program, submit applications, and
receive support. We are continually updating and improving the Web Site in order to make
the application process easier and provide you with more information.
University
of Michigan Telemedicine Options Guide
Take A 15 Minute Tour of the VTEL Videoconferencing Systems used in the Mott Imaging Room
and Ford Amphitheater
Centre of Telemedicine
The Centre for Telemedicine (CTM) at Uppsala University, founded in 1997, consists of a
consortium comprising researchers, teachers and research students of the medical,
technical and social faculties at Uppsala University.
NASA Telemedicine Technology Gateway
Telecommunications has become more critical than ever in the health care industry, ranking
high among the top information technologies and becoming an institutional strategy.
Telemedicine
Projects
The First Large-Scale International Telemedicine Trial to China: ZHU
Ling's Case
On April 10, 1995, an SOS e-mail message was sent from Peking University through the
Internet to ask for help for a young female university student, ZHU Ling, suffering an
unknown but severe disease. The message was widely spread and since then the Internet has
played a very important but complicated role in Zhu Lin's life. It has also impacted
on the lives of many of us who have tried to see just how far telemedicine by the Internet
can be taken to bridge the cultural, linguistic, and even political gulfs between China
and the Western world.
Virtual Hospital
The Virtual Hospital (VH) is a project of the Electric Differential Multimedia Laboratory,
Department
of Radiology, University of Iowa College of Medicine. It is a continuously updated
digital health sciences library stored on computers and available over high speed networks
24 hours a day. The VH provides invaluable patient care support and distance learning to
practicing physicians and other healthcare professionals. Its Iowa Health Book provides
information to the general public on a variety of health issues.
Alaska Telemedicine Project
Nearly a dozen health care professionals and representatives from two senator’s
offices just concluded a week-long ferry trip to Kodiak Island, the Alaskan Peninsula and
the Aleutian Island region. The purpose of the trip was to orient state and federal
professionals with the region, to become familiar with the needs of regional clinics and
to assess telemedicine activities and issues. The trip was sponsored and organized by the
Eastern Aleutian Tribes and Alaska Primary Care Association
Legal Issues
Telemedicine and Health Care Informatics Legal Issues
The increasing computerization of health care data, combined with the emergence of new
telecommunications applications and technologies create vast opportunities for the
provision of health care. Some of the legal and regulatory issues, though, seem way behind
the curve. This page is devoted to these legal issues.
Telemedicine and the Law
Welcome to Telemedicine & the Law. This site, developed by Arent Fox, deals with the
legal issues surrounding health information systems, computerized decision support
technologies and telemedicine. Arent Fox lawyers are advisors in technology and
information law in Washington, D.C.
Medical
Specialties
Telepathology:
Where Are We Now?
Exactly how telecommunications will enhance the practice of medicine in general and
pathology specifically is still unpredictable. To be prepared for such a future, each of
us needs to know some fundamentals of telecommunications technology and to consider where
critical barriers to communication exist in our practice today. Pathology, a highly visual
specialty, has practical applications relative to image-based telecommunications.
Telematics &
Videoconferencing
84 schools in remote areas of Victoria are using Telematics and desktop videoconferencing
technology and shared mobile technology resources, ShareTeks, to offer a broad curriculum
to all students. The Telematics program uses computer conferencing,
audiographics/videoconferencing, and facsimiles to create a "virtual classroom"
in which small groups of students in remote schools are linked to expert teachers for
lessons.
Telemedicine Resources
Telemedicine Resources at
Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic has extensive communications capabilities among it's three practice sites in
Rochester, Minnesota, Jacksonville, Florida and Scottsdale, Arizona, and with its regional
affiliates. Using a combination of terrestrial and satellite transmission, Mayo conducts
telemedicine, videoconferencing and medical education with sites worldwide.
Open Gates Teletraining
Institute
The Open Gates Teletraining Institute is a not-for-profit
educational organization established by the University of Texas Medical Branch at
Galveston and the Teletraining Institute in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Telemedicine Resources
This is a listing of resources and services related to telemedicine that are available on
the World Wide Web
Telemedicine
Information Exchange
Welcome to the Telemedicine Information Exchange! You’ll find the TIE to be a
comprehensive, international, quality-filtered resource for information about telemedicine
and telemedicine-related activities. The TIE’s content continues to grow and change,
so for a one-stop source for telemedicine information, bookmark the TIE and check back
often!
Telemedicine
Resources
This is a listing of resources and services related to telemedicine that are available on
the World Wide Web. You will find many useful links to other telemedicine websites
PACSpage: PACS / Telemedicine Resource page
Links related to PACS, general telemedicine and medical informatics.
Teleradiology/PACS
Teleradiology
List of links and resources for those interested in teleradiology and medical informatics
Teleradiology Questions and Answers
In most practices, commercial teleradiology systems are used for consultation or
preliminary interpretation. Image resolution is critical in determining how teleradiology
is used and system requirements are driven in part, by the type of image transmitted.
Radiology.com
This site contains a comprehensive list of radiology publications and societies,
and board certified radiologists will even answer questions you submit via
email.
National Library
of Medicine Teleradiology Project
As new medical technology is developed, we must evaluate its
performance to learn from the enterprise.
PACSpage: PACS / Telemedicine Resource page
Links related to PACS, general telemedicine and medical informatics.
General Telemedicine Links
A Comprehensive list of Telemedicine links.
American College of Radiology
It boasts a nice set of links for medical imaging and networking. We checked the
links out; they all work.
Radiologist.com
List of links and resources for those interested in teleradiology.
Telemedicine
Organizations
Several organizations provide information on
telemedicine research, recent projects and upcoming conferences.
Telemedicine
Information Exchange
Created by the Telemedicine Research Center and supported by the National
Library of Medicine, this "meta-site" provides multiple , continuously
updated searchable databases (including articles about telemedicine) as well as
a host of links to important telemedicine resources around the world. In our
book, it gets an enthusiastic A+. It’s current, comprehensive, and completely
free.
American
Telemedicine Association
You will find general membership information and useful links with information
on recent telemedicine projects as well as legal issues of telemedicine.
Association
of Telemedicine Service Providers
Offers a well-organized site with links, information on upcoming conferences and
information about their advocacy programs. At the ATSP you can search for
employment opportunities in telemedicine and post listings for positions open in
the field of telemedicine.
International
Society for Telemedicine
Currently being revamped, contains general information about the ISFT for
interested members and a schedule of upcoming international conferences.
U.S.
Office for the Advancement of Telehealth
Contains many useful links and resources for grant applications.
Grupo de Bioingenier̀a y Telemedicina
For a good introduction to Spanish-language resources in telemedicine.
Society
for Computer Applications in Radiology
The Society for Computer Applications in
Radiology (SCAR) is devoted to development and dissemination of information on
the use of computer technology as a part of medical imaging practice, research,
and education.
American
College of Chest Physicians
ACCP has nearly 15,000 members in over
100 countries worldwide who specialize in various multidisciplinary areas of
chest medicine. ACCP meets its mission and vision by providing physicians,
researchers, and health-care practitioners with such resources as: continuing
education courses and products
College
of Healthcare Information Management Executives
To serve the professional needs of healthcare Chief Information Officers;
and to advance the strategic application of information technology in innovative
ways aimed at improving the effectiveness of healthcare delivery.
Health
Sciences Communication Association
The Health Sciences Communications Association, is an association of
biomedical communication professionals committed to sharing knowledge and
resources.
Video
Conferencing
GVCNET
Touts itself as the one-stop shop for ‘everything videoconferencing.’
Its well-designed layout makes it easy to find all types of information on VC
using search terms or browsing subject titles. Its reference section and
knowledge database contain FAQs, a comprehensive glossary, how-to articles, and
links to various videoconferencing magazines. You can get up-to-date stock
quotes on videoconferencing companies and can search the classified section for
videoconferencing products. While some of the subject categories such as
Telemedicine and Current News are a bit thin in content, the overall
comprehensiveness of the site is impressive.
Telemedicine
Software
Healthcare
Information Systems Directory
Contains a nice set of links to software
vendors in the healthcare industry. You can browse links by vendor or category.
The site is complete text driven, making navigation quick and easy.
Online
directory of medical software
Offers a searchable database of 1,400 medical applications ranging from
CME programs to patient and physician scheduling applications. The database
is searchable by computer platform, product name, product category, and product
vendor. While database access is free, you’ll have to pay for the independent
product reviews ($5/review).