|
 |
|
|||
|
|||
|
|||
December 2008 This issue home | Past issues | Chamber home Physicians Answering the Call to Keep You Healthy Telemedicine may be the shelter from healthcare’s perfect storm The healthcare perfect storm that has been gathering steam for the past several decades in the U.S. is today raging at a dangerous, unprecedented pitch. The latest national data reveals a steady increase in healthcare spending which, left unchecked, by 2008 will increase 12 % over the $2 trillion spent in 2006 and is projected to reach a staggering 19.5% of the U. S. gross domestic product by 2017. About half of healthcare spending growth is due to medical price inflation -- the rising cost of providing existing services to patients. In line with this, health insurance carriers anticipate medical costs to rise across all plan types through 2008, driving more and more employers to drop coverage, limit health plans and/or force higher premiums onto their employees. The result of this spiraling cost? The amount spent on healthcare in the U.S. per person increased 78% between 1996 and 2006. Worse still, there are currently 47 million uninsured U.S. residents, and an additional 25 million who are underinsured. One solution for reoccurring non-emergency medical situations that many physicians are exploring is the use of is telemedicine. Telemedicine refers to the use of various telecommunications by physicians and medical institutions that provide health care to their patients through electronic or digital means. Telemedicine employs technology that makes it possible for health care providers to care for their patients in the patients' homes or in other remote areas. Telemedicine affords caregivers the ability to collect and transfer medical data, still images, and live audio and video transmissions. Some of the common methods used are ordinary telephone lines, the Internet, and satellites, although any means of transmission can be used. Inarguably, telemedicine is no panacea for today’s acute healthcare crisis, but making telephone consultations between doctors and patients widely available, easy and affordable is certainly a smart and practical step in the right direction. However, telemedicine lessens the strain on an overburdened, over-priced healthcare system and saves businesses millions lost in productivity when workers take time off to visit the doctor for a minor medical condition. But most importantly -- for a growing number of U.S. residents – telemedicine offers a measure of immediate, much welcomed shelter from today’s healthcare perfect storm. As illustrated in the following table, telemedicine is tightly controlled with the use of the latest technological advances. Why use Telemedicine?
How does Telemedicine work:
Telemedicine is generally used for non-emergency reoccurring medical issues such as fever, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, bladder infection, diabetes, ear ache and weight control. Most state medical boards allow physicians to prescribe a non-narcotic prescription such as Amoxicillin, Augmentin, Bactrim or Zithromax. Top 10 conditions treated by
Top 10 prescriptions written by
Americare Services Inc. is a member of the Richardson Chamber of Commerce providing electronic medical record storage and telemedicine services in all 50 US states, Washington DC and Puerto Rico. Call Americare Services at 1-800-352-2797 for additional information. or visit us at www.amerservicesinc.com or www.callmd.com. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Office of the Actuary Ibid PwC's Health Research Institute, Behind the Numbers Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services U.S. Census Bureau Commonwealth Fund, How many are underinsured? Trends among U.S. Adults, 2003 and 2007 Action News is a monthly publication of the Richardson Chamber of Commerce Communications Department. Click here to Unsubscribe or email rsvp@richardsonchamber.com. |
|
Top Stories
More Top Stories
|
