As for actual practices, in the U.S., Teladoc, American Well, and MDLIVE, three web-based companies that offer virtual medical exams, hosted 500,000 patient-doctor interactions in 2011. As of 2012, 11% of employers in the U.S. offered telemedicine service coverage to their employees. According to The Wall Street Journal, the average cost per visit for urinary tract infection was 74 dollars for an e-visit, whereas it cost 93 dollars for a physical office visit. However, experts at the Center for Disease Control warn that some criteria of diseases are not reliable for accurate diagnosis. This is why Virtuwell does not diagnose strep throat, which can be hard to diagnose without a doctor physically seeing the patient. But telemedicine can be helpful in brining better healthcare to rural areas, and even make it easier for doctors to offer charity services in other countries.

 

According to Jonathan Linkuous, the chief executive officer of American Telemedicine Association, there are several trends that will shape telemedicine in the future. For one, radiology has been utilizing telemedicine for years. Outsourcing interpretation of scans is a common practice in the U.S. Telemedicine is also set to become a major part of international trade, as technology for secure communication lines, payment mechanisms, etc. still need to be developed. Virtual medical centers with intensive care unit beds are on the rise as well. Moreover, telemedicine is transitioning to a network approach, with a central hospital and many centers connected to it. Federal grants in the U.S. have allowed the establishment of 200 telemedicine programs throughout the country, and most of them are linked to multiple health centers. Another important trend is the establishment of remote clinics. Hospitals can outsource radiology, neurology, and other services to small vendors. Connecting these services will make it convenient for the patients who require such services.

 

To make telemedicine more accessible, there are many new technologies in development and testing in the field of telemedicine. For example, there are basic telemedicine kits that can be easily carried around that contain a tablet screen and basic tools for patient examination. HealthSpot stations, which are developed by a private company, allow patients to chat in real-time with doctors in a private booth, and receive diagnosis and direction for follow-ups. HealthSpot Stations will be seen at workplaces, universities, and other locations when they are entered into service. Another new medical device called EyePrevent allows optical imaging of diabetic patients’ retinas to evaluate for retinopathy, which could lead to blindness. Doctors can interpret the imaging results remotely and give proper diagnosis. Telemedicine is also being used to bring better healthcare to rural areas. For example, the state of Georgia in the U.S. is running a program that aims to set up 13 clinics that use telemedicine technology in schools across the state. Some forms of telemedicine have already been spreading rapidly, especially in the U.S. It is not unusual for a patient to receive imaging scans, such as x-ray, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT) scans, at one location and have them sent to a doctor in another location to be read.

 

Another important part of good healthcare is getting second opinions on a diagnosis, as it is not unusual for a doctor to be wrong about a difficult diagnosis. However, trying to set up appointments with and meet different doctors can be difficult in some places. Second Opinion Telemedicine Solutions, as the name implies, allows a patient to receive a second opinion through the use of a device that allows not only videoconferencing, but also has sign monitors and various optical scopes attached for the second doctor to use remotely.