Lessons Learned from Mississippi's Telehealth Approach to Health Disparities

Many people see telemedicine as a solution to the nation's health disparities and in Mississippi as a solution to our last place in health. More than 13 years ago, the University of Mississippi Medical Center developed a successful TelEmergency program that saved rural Critical Access Hospitals and now provides telehealth services throughout the state. This occurred without acrimony because of partnerships that the University of Mississippi Medical Center developed with telecommunications companies, state government, health professions' licensure boards, and private donors. Today, the telemedicine market is exploding across the country with the entry of for-profit corporations into the medical market. These corporations often are more inclined to work with legislators rather than physicians, and some physician groups have attempted to limit their expansion. With the future of telemedicine now determined in part by the courts, rather than the providers, new pitfalls have arisen. The Mississippi experience may be helpful in navigating this new territory.