tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518114346711467418.post6035150070134688847..comments2023-09-11T05:24:10.918-04:00Comments on U.S. Healthcare Issues and Fixes: Will Telemedicine Save Money?SandipMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04721935576457691892noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518114346711467418.post-48338659909436067622015-09-14T02:44:15.410-04:002015-09-14T02:44:15.410-04:00Great point, Avay. I was referring to potential sa...Great point, Avay. I was referring to potential savings for taxpayers, employers and other non-patient payers in U.S.A. while assessing telemedicine here. But from the viewpoint of patient access and convenience, telemedicine can be hugely beneficial, and even more so in remote areas in U.S.A., not to speak of Himachal, where the problems can be orders of magnitude worse.SandipMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04721935576457691892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518114346711467418.post-69166608165095546492015-09-13T01:47:21.007-04:002015-09-13T01:47:21.007-04:00Totally agree. One doubt, however: when you say th...Totally agree. One doubt, however: when you say that the costs of telemedicine may not be significantly less than the current process, have you factored in things like time lost in making visits to clinics, cost of commuting, reduced infrastructure costs for the doctor, etc?<br /> The real benefit of telemedicine, however, could accrue to countries like India where rural areas are still woefully short of doctors and medical institutions, and road networks are very poor. I have in mind a state like Himachal Pradesh, with which you are familiar, Sandip. Villages are widely scattered and Primary Health Centres-few and far between- ill equipped to handle serious cases( though a doctor two will usually be there). Through telemedicine these PHCs could be connected to district and referral hospitals, from where senior physicians could advise and guide their PHC counterparts on the treatment of such cases. Not only would this make medical care available at ( almost) the doorstep, it would certainly be at a far lesser cost to both the government and the patient.For such areas telemedicine would not only be a convenience( as in more affluent countries) but a life saver. Avay Shuklahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02928879917197239026noreply@blogger.com