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Telehealth is the use of electronic information
and telecommunications technologies to support
long-distance clinical health care, patient
and professional health-related education, public
health and health administration.
Technologies used in telehealth typically are:
videoconferencing, the Internet, store-and-forward
imaging, streaming media, and terrestrial and
wireless communications. While new applications
are increasingly found for using these technologies,
significant barriers remain to making these
technologies an integral part of daily health
care practice.
HRSA works to increase and improve the use
of telehealth to meet the needs of underserved
people, including those living in rural and
remote areas, those who are low-income and uninsured
or enrolled in Medicaid.
HRSA promotes the use of telehealth technologies
by:
- Fostering partnerships within HRSA, and
with other Federal agencies, states and private
sector groups to create telehealth projects.
- Administering telehealth grant programs.
- Providing technical assistance.
- Evaluating the use of telehealth technologies
and programs.
- Developing telehealth policy initiatives
to improve access to quality health services.
- Promoting knowledge exchange about "best
telehealth practices."
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