Telemedicine: the state of the art and current issues

Telemedicine is the application of modern telecommunications to the practice of medicine. Telemedicine is particularly appealing to rural and under served areas. Applications of telemedicine include administrative videoconferences between a central headquarters and remote branches; network CME including instruction in sophisticated procedures formerly not possible; video-consultations permitting examination, diagnosis, and treatment of a remote patient; teleradiology; telepathology; patient medical records; medical data banks; and many more. There is some reluctance on the part of physicians to make use of telemedicine. There are also barriers established by individual state licensing laws, confidentiality concerns, and malpractice worries. Reimbursement policies remain unsettled.