Telemedicine is The Son of EMRs

Telemedicine might be getting more traction in the business community and offer an improved patient experience,

A simple explanation is that, given present offerings, it does not improve the doctor experience. We have seen this movie before and we know how it ends.

but many docs are not using it in their daily practice.

Telemedicine runs the risk of becoming another EMR:

1.Expensive

2. Hard to use

3. Interferes with workflow

4. Security issues

5. An incomplete solution

6. It does not integrate into other parts of the EMR

7. Quality of care issues

8. Instead of being seen as a tool to improve care integrated into the care process, it is a standalone technology

overloaded with features, not benefits that exist because of a profitable business model.

9. It has become the hot new political shiny object that promises to lower costs

10. It is not as attractive for small medicine practitioners as it is for BIG MEDICINE

"Telemedicine" is not one thing. Instead, it describes many different technologies with many intended uses. While the focus is on video-chats and diagnosis, store and forward and real time IM chatting might be a cheaper, easier approach for some doctors. Telemedicine fails when it is a solution looking for a problem and does not address a specific unmet need, when it degrades the doctor experience and when it does not use a viable business model.

The telemedicine apple is not falling far from the EMR tree. Once again, we see telemedicine technologies that have a value proposition for a multi-sided market that puts doctors at the bottom of the satisfaction list.