Telemedicine delivers healthcare services to patients using telecom media. Telemedicine has changed quite a bit since 2000 when HCP principals Zalunardo and Stumpf operated their model USC School of Medicine telemedicine team (and the adjacent photo was taken).
Our commitment was then and is today to implement telemedicine in the underserved communities of Los Angeles; in particular South LA and East LA community clinics and medical practice groups. Our premier service was screening for diabetic retinopathy in Latino populations. Our insistence on utilizing the web to move encrypted data was unprecedented. Telemedicine is still in an infant stage for many healthcare organizations. Funding is unclear and HIPAA looms large for many.
We see immense opportunity. The aging population needs remote monitors that relay stock bio info to healthcare providers. Consumers should be empowered to self manage based chronic illnesses on their own data which they collect routinely. Midlevel providers should be reviewing cases and providing standard guideline responses to patients. Mobile applications are not simply for millenials. However, if a healthcare org wants to capture this population, mobile apps is the surest medium. Ask us how HCP can help you build your telemedicine programs. Check our blog for updates and current trends in telemedicine. The 2001 photo shows a Physician Assistant and one of our USC student interns in an East LA clinic capturing an digital image of the retina.
