A brave new world: telemedicine and the facial plastic surgeon

Telemedicine is defined by the American Medical Association (AMA) as "the provision of health-care consultation and education using telecommunication networks to communicate information." Properly used, telemedicine can provide rapid and easy access to general and specialized medical care. Most telemedical programs have focused on general medical care, but telemedicine can be utilized for subspecialty care. However, technical financial, and legal restrictions must be addressed before more widespread use of telemedicine in facial plastic surgery. This article describes the opportunities and impediments presented to the facial plastic surgeon by telemedicine.