Telemedicine in rural areas allows small business clients to provide medical services in isolated areas. Telephone consultations and conversations with patients are long-standing treatment methods. However new Internet technologies have expanded telemedicine service delivery. Today many health care providers use telemedicine solutions to monitor patients with chronic conditions in their home, to provide preventive services, life saving emergency care and offer regular contact between patient and physician.

Rural telemedicine primarily consists of using broadband technologies to store, transmit and view data necessary to patient health. In addition to supplying electronic health records, telehealth units track vital signs of patients with chronic conditions in their home. Videoconferencing between psychiatrist and patient is also commonly used. Rural telemedicine also utilizes online doctor consultations and meetings between a primary care physician and a specialist in a remote area to treat a patient.

Prepare your small business for telemedicine services with following suggestions:

1. Develop effective plans to address how your business will service rural telemedicine patients.

2. Make an informed decision about rural telemedicine devices to suit your business practice.

3. Use online rural health solutions to ensure the patient provider delivers effective health care.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Compare a range of rural telemedicine networks used in small business

Telemedicine covers a number of possible applications for use in small businesses. Physicians can transmit digital x-rays by email and use electronic client records to access their health information from any location. Gain access to educational resources to develop telemedicine solutions. This allows your business to free up time and resources to treat rural clients.

I recommend: Develop best practices and quality assurance measures with online courses from The American Telemedicine Association. Register for annual conferences and workshops at the National Rural Health Organization for health care professionals.

Train your employees to implement rural network telemedicine

Telemedicine solutions require complex and technologically advance devices. telemedicine medical technology may be expensive to set-up or maintain. A way to avoid unnecessary expenses is to make sure to train the staff that operates and maintains the equipment in your rural network.

I recommend: Contact industry leader AMD Telemedicine for access to telemedicine devices and training solutions to keep equipment in working order. Download a free 10-day trail of CapSure from Global Media, a store and forward software designed for use in researching and inspecting across distances.

Use software and online methods for rural health solutions

Telemedicine for rural networks need access to online services and software solutions. Rural networks store and transmit data, which allows health care providers to conference and develop solutions for medical problem.

I recommend: Electronic Medical Records system by Unicharts offers a browser based software for easily tracking, updating and customizing client records. Take the instant test drive to try out the product. Register or take a tour at Relay Health online solutions, allowing providers, hospitals and pharmacies real-time access to each other and their patients.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Find rural telemedicine equipment that's user-friendly, whenever possible. Use products designed for use in telemedicine for rural areas that are easy to operate by caregivers or patients of any age and skill level.