Telemedicine Report to the Congress. U.S. Department of Commerce, NationalTelecommunications and Information Administration, in Consultation with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

摘要

Telemedicine has the potential to make a difference in the lives of manyAmericans. For example, telemedicine can improve the delivery of health care in America by bringing a wider range of services such as radiology, mental health services and dermatology to communities and individuals in underserved urban and rural areas. In remote rural areas, where the distance between a patient and a health professional can be hundreds of miles, telemedicine can mean access to health care where little had been available before. Given this potential, Congress has asked the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and other appropriate departments and agencies, to submit a report on the use of advanced telecommunications services for medical purposes. Specifically, the Telecommunications Reform Act of 1996, requires a summary of the Joint Working Group on Telemedicine's (JWGT) activities as well as findings from federally-funded telemedicine studies and demonstrations. In addition, Congress requested that the report examine questions related to patient safety, the efficacy and quality of services provided and other legal, medical, and economic issues.