JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Telemedicine and telehealth refer to the delivery of medical care and provision general health services from a distance respectively. Thus far, telemedicine has been successfully implemented in multiple settings in the hospitals such as the emergency departments, radiology, and intensive care units while telehealth has been successfully implemented in care for many chronic diseases. Telemedicine and telehealth have been practiced for decades with increasing evidence proving effectiveness and enhanced quality of care for patients, reduction in hospital readmissions, and increase in savings for both patients and providers. The recent pandemic of COVID-19 has resulted in a significant increase in the reliance of telemedicine and telehealth for provision of healthcare services. Developments in telemedicine should be structured as complements to current healthcare procedures not with the goal of completely digitizing the entire healthcare system, but rather to use the power of technology to enhance areas that may not be working at their full potential currently. At the same time, it is also clear that further research is needed on the effectiveness of telemedicine in terms of both financial and patient benefits as a future agenda. The next major step in the adoption of telemedicine is that adequate and expansive policies must be enacted at the federal and state government levels. If legislation is passed legitimizing the role of telemedicine and telehealth in the American healthcare system, increased education and research on the area can lead to telemedicine being a prominent daily practice for physicians and patients alike.