Frequently Asked Questions About Telemedicine

What is Telemedicine?

Telemedicine is the use of technology to electronically exchange medical information and provide medical services to patients from a distance.

How is Telemedicine Different from Telehealth?

Telehealth often encompasses a broader definition of remote health care that doesn't always involve clinical services.

Both telemedicine and telehealth include:

• Videoconferencing
• Transmission of still images
• Remote monitoring of vital signs
• Nursing call centers
• E-health, including patient portals
• Continuing medical education

How Does Telemedicine Work?

Telemedicine can involve many different methods for providing health care remotely.

Some examples of clinical telemedicine services at UPMC include:

• Videoconferencing between patients and health care providers
• Transmitting still images, via e-mail or electronic health record, for interpretation by a physician in a remote location
• Remote monitoring of vital signs
• Electronic visits (e-mail between doctors and patients)

Who Benefits from Telemedicine?

Both patients and health care providers throughout the region and abroad benefit greatly from telemedicine.

What Equipment Do I Need for Telemedicine?

This depends on the specialty and the method of telemedicine transmission.

• Store and forward technology — for obtaining and transmitting images to a remote site for review and consultation — requires a software system on a personal computer.
• A more in-depth visit using videoconferencing generally uses a secure system with a high-speed internet connection.
• The patient site uses a telemedicine practitioner’s cart for videoconferencing, which you purchase as one unit and includes the:
• Monitor
• Computer
• Camera
• There are many peripheral instruments which can be attached to the practitioner's cart that can assist in an interactive examination, such as:
• Digital stethoscope
• Otoscope
• Ophthalmoscope
• Total exam camera

Many hospitals throughout Pennsylvania already have store and forward image transfer capabilities and real-time videoconferencing systems that allow them to collaborate with UPMC specialists.

Will Patients Still Need to See a Specialist in Person?

Possibly, but the ultimate goal of telemedicine is to allow patients to receive care close to home, rather than care that requires travel.