Abdominal pain can be a symptom of hepatitis C

Rural Telemedicine Levels the Playing Field for Hepatitis C Patients

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According to a new study in the American Journal of Medicine, rural patients diagnosed with the Hepatitis C virus were more likely to receive treatment if their primary care physicians (PCPs) engaged in telemedicine consults with infectious disease specialists. The researchers found that patients with physicians who participated in the VA-ECHO telemedicine program showed a 21.4% treatment rate, compared with 2.5% among patients with a PCP who did not take part in VA-ECHO. Read more

Report Card: Most Improved A+

ATA’s Annual Reports Reveal Growth in Telemedicine Adoption

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Last week, the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) issued its yearly reports of telemedicine coverage, reimbursement, and standards across the country. In general, telemedicine has consistently become an accepted tool by patients, providers, and third-party payers in all states, with improved coverage and reimbursement in several states. Some state legislatures are removing restrictive requirements for physician practice standards, even allowing them to practice telemedicine across state lines. Read more

swyMed Introduces the DOT Telemedicine Backpack, Enabling Connectivity for Real-Time Mobile Video Consultations from Any Location

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First-of-its-kind, plug-and-play backpack reliably connects patients and doctors to improve care and reduce costs

Lexington, Mass – February 14, 2017 – swyMed, a provider of exceptional-quality video telemedicine solutions, today unveiled the DOT Telemedicine Backpack. It is the first lightweight, mobile telemedicine solution that enables field care providers to conduct high quality, reliable, real-time video consults with physicians to treat patients even in the most remote areas or on the go.  Leveraging swyMed’s patent-pending video technology, the DOT Telemedicine Backpack delivers smooth, reliable connectivity for Mobile Integrated Healthcare, at the lowest bandwidth in the market.  The company will be showcasing its DOT Telemedicine Backpack at HIMSS17, taking place on February 19th-23rd in Orlando, FL. Read more

Girl feeling ill in classroom

School Telemedicine Earns Grade ‘A’

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Traditionally, when a student presents with wheezing in the chest, suggesting an asthma attack, the school nurse must call an ambulance to transport the child to the emergency room. Now, with school telemedicine and the parent’s permission, a school nurse can initiate a video call with an emergency room pediatrician; with the aid of a digital stethoscope, the doctor can listen to the student’s lungs remotely, diagnose the ailment, and provide a treatment plan for the nurse to follow. Within minutes, the student returns to class. Read more

An elderly amputee contemplates his healthcare options without telemedicine

Rural Telemedicine Broadband Service Too Spotty

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For patients in rural areas, telemedicine can make a big difference by increasing access to health care and specialists—but only when the region’s high-speed Internet access works. Unlike swyMed, most telemedicine platforms need minimum connection speeds of 25 megabits per second for download and 3 megabits per second for upload. Read more