Purpose: Telemedicine provides patients located in rural areas with timely access to specialist care via realtime television/video communication.
Policy: Patients in need of specialty care, as determined by their primary care provider, will be referred to telemedicine services provided at the affiliated hub/specialist site.
Procedure: Providers at the spoke/patient site will use their clinical judgment in selecting patients for the telemedicine service. Patients who would otherwise be referred to an outpatient appointment with a traditional specialist are welcome to utilize the telemedicine service. If a patient is in a crisis situation and in need of emergency services, the same emergency procedure should be followed as was in place prior to the launch of the telemedicine program.
(Shared by the North Country Telemedicine Pilot Program)
