Technology Trends Proposal Part 2 Telemedicine
Technology Trends Proposal Part II: Telemedicine
Shamika N. Magee
University of Phoenix
HCS 483
Instructor: Billy Kesserwani
March 16th, 2015
Technology Trends Proposal Part II: Telemedicine
Privacy and security law questions can become challenging in a telemedicine setting because of the nature of the data and the ways in which it is being used. Telemedicine is increasingly becoming a medium for generating, transmitting and storing large volumes of electronic health information, and as telemedicine platforms and delivery models continue to evolve, the ways in which providers are creating and using health information are constantly changing.
Perhaps the first question that risk managers must consider is professional liability. The growth of telemedicine technology may increase malpractice claims by raising patient expectations and creating new medical procedures that physicians must use to stay current. One unique challenge for telemedicine is to balance the necessary expansion of manpower to manage an electronic system with the increased number of people who have potential access to a patient’s records. Currently, telemedicine requires a technical staff to run the system that is completely independent from the medical team (Nohr, 2000). Additionally, because of technological constraints, the transmission of information over internet or web-based systems lends itself to hackers and other potential exposure. Protocols must be meticulously followed to ensure that patients are informed about all participants in a telemedicine consultation and that the privacy and confidentiality of the patient are maintained, as well as ensuring the integrity of any data/images transmitted (Erbetta, 1999).
According to McCrossin (2003), verifying the entity on the other end of the data exchange or telemedicine appointment is of great concern. Is the provider truly a provider, and is the patient—especially when receiving or accessing information—the correct patient? Either
Shamika N. Magee
University of Phoenix
HCS 483
Instructor: Billy Kesserwani
March 16th, 2015
Technology Trends Proposal Part II: Telemedicine
Privacy and security law questions can become challenging in a telemedicine setting because of the nature of the data and the ways in which it is being used. Telemedicine is increasingly becoming a medium for generating, transmitting and storing large volumes of electronic health information, and as telemedicine platforms and delivery models continue to evolve, the ways in which providers are creating and using health information are constantly changing.
Perhaps the first question that risk managers must consider is professional liability. The growth of telemedicine technology may increase malpractice claims by raising patient expectations and creating new medical procedures that physicians must use to stay current. One unique challenge for telemedicine is to balance the necessary expansion of manpower to manage an electronic system with the increased number of people who have potential access to a patient’s records. Currently, telemedicine requires a technical staff to run the system that is completely independent from the medical team (Nohr, 2000). Additionally, because of technological constraints, the transmission of information over internet or web-based systems lends itself to hackers and other potential exposure. Protocols must be meticulously followed to ensure that patients are informed about all participants in a telemedicine consultation and that the privacy and confidentiality of the patient are maintained, as well as ensuring the integrity of any data/images transmitted (Erbetta, 1999).
According to McCrossin (2003), verifying the entity on the other end of the data exchange or telemedicine appointment is of great concern. Is the provider truly a provider, and is the patient—especially when receiving or accessing information—the correct patient? Either
References: Erbetta, J. (1999, March). Security issues in telemedicine. Journal of telemedicine and telecare, 5(1), 123. McCrossin, R. (2003). Managing risk in telemedicine. Journal of telemedicine and telecare, 9(2), s36-9. Nohr, L.E. (2000). Telemedicine and patients ' rights. Journal of telemedicine and telecare, 6(1), S173-4.