![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/girl.png\" "\\"girl\\"")
If we tried to\u00a0estimate\u00a0whether our healthcare system is in better shape now than it was at the\u00a0millenium, I am guessing we’d hear a resounding “No!” What has changed for the better? Perhaps only the technology and\u00a0scientific\u00a0knowledge we have accumulated since 2000.<\/p>\n
But now the words “Healthcare Reform” are being\u00a0bandied about like\u00a0molten\u00a0rocks, and\u00a0are any of us really sure\u00a0this isn’t just a bunch of\u00a0bunk?<\/p>\n
Regardless of how you would answer that question,\u00a0it’s a good thing\u00a0to know what’s\u00a0on the horizon, regardless of how long it takes our\u00a0donkey, or\u00a0elephant,\u00a0to get there.<\/p>\n
Many of\u00a0the positive things that the future holds for healthcare start with\u00a0the word “electronic,” or the prefix “tele.” Yes, some doctors and patients are horrified\u00a0by\u00a0the internet and the latest technological advances that\u00a0seek to change the old-school ways of doing things.<\/p>\n
But, do\u00a0you\u00a0know what\u00a0—\u00a0even the naysayers in the medical ranks, and the Simple Susies\u00a0in the waiting room, recognize one thing:\u00a0electronic-“this” and tele-“that” are\u00a0machines that ain’t gonna be stopped. The first things that may come to mind are Electronic Health Records (EHRs), which will be standard within several years.<\/p>\n
The practice of telemedicine, which entails electronic communication in the delivery of healthcare —\u00a0often between a doctor and patient in different locations — is gaining acceptance among health insurance carriers and, more slowly, the government.<\/p>\n
Take, for instance, eDrugstore. This website\u00a0truly was a\u00a0pioneer when,\u00a0more than\u00a010 years ago, it became one\u00a0of the first online pharmacies to begin practicing telehealth over the internet. Now, more than 200,000 prescriptions have been provided to patients who have filled out an online health\/medical questionnaire — primarily for lifestyle medications such as Viagra<\/a>, Cialis<\/a> and Levitra<\/a>.\u00a0(Thousands of\u00a0prescription requests have been turned away as well.)<\/p>\n Now, several\u00a0brave companies are\u00a0stepping\u00a0to the forefront of telemedicine by providing doctor consultations over the\u00a0phone and through\u00a0online video connections. The Hawaii Medical Service Association is contracting with Blue Cross to provide online medical consultations that\u00a0bring together\u00a0in-network patients with doctors.<\/p>\n eDrugstore.com met last week with 15 doctors to get their views on where telemedicine is headed, and to assess their views on this emerging tool for the delivery of healthcare.\u00a0Many doctors\u00a0believe in online consultations, but many are taking a cautious approach until\u00a0the legal framework is hashed out.\u00a0Many state\u00a0governments have only basic language to address telemedicine,\u00a0and the federal government has\u00a0considered only a small portion of conditions that could be covered by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS).<\/p>\n Simply put, the technology is here, but there are no concrete guidelines for using it. Which is\u00a0a shame.<\/p>\n With “Healthcare Reform”\u00a0continuing to be a major political debate, more and more patients are realizing that telemedicine is an efficient and more affordable way to receive healthcare. Face-to-face visits will always be necessary under many circumstances. However,\u00a0telemedicine provides patients who perhaps live in rural areas or do not have health insurance, with necessary care that can often save a trip to the clinic or hospital.<\/p>\n Many state senators and representatives are getting on board with telemedicine now that they see the cost savings, and high quality of care that can still be provided. As\u00a0more and more of our population grows up with the internet and bounding technologies,\u00a0and as\u00a0more and more of our Baby\u00a0Boomer\u00a0physicians\u00a0continue to turn in their stethoscopes, telemedicine will take its\u00a0place among the most popular and beneficial\u00a0healthcare delivery\u00a0options available.<\/p>\n There just ain’t no stoppin’ it.<\/p>\n For more information,\u00a0see the American\u00a0Telemedicine Association.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If we tried to\u00a0estimate\u00a0whether our healthcare system is in better shape now than it was at the\u00a0millenium, I am guessing we’d hear a resounding “No!” What has changed for the better? Perhaps only the technology and\u00a0scientific\u00a0knowledge we have accumulated since 2000. But now the words “Healthcare Reform” are being\u00a0bandied about like\u00a0molten\u00a0rocks, and\u00a0are any of us […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_autoblog_aioseo_focus_keyphrase":"","_autoblog_aioseo_title":"","_autoblog_aioseo_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-health-news"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t