Telehealth and Telemedicine: What’s the Difference?

Image of an animated doctor

The following article is originally featured on mhealthintelligence.com:

Today’s healthcare ecosystem is filled with references to and examples of telemedicine and telehealth – in some cases, the two terms are used interchangeably. Whether they mean the same thing is a topic of considerable debate.

In general terms, telemedicine is considered the clinical application of technology, while telehealth encompasses a broader, consumer-facing approach – “a collection of means or methods, not a speci­fic clinical service, to enhance care delivery and education,” according to the federal network of telehealth resource centers.

“While ‘telemedicine’ has been more commonly used in the past, ‘telehealth’ is a more universal term for the current broad array of applications in the ­field,” the TRC network states in its online resource guide. “Its use crosses most health service disciplines, including dentistry, counseling, physical therapy and home health, and many other domains. Further, telehealth practice has expanded beyond traditional diagnostic and monitoring activities to include consumer and professional education. Note that while a connection exists between health information technology (HIT), health information exchange (HIE) and telehealth, neither HIE nor HIT are considered to be telehealth.”

Click here to read the full article on mhealthintelligence.com  

About Simple Visit

SimpleVisit is a video service which allows patients and providers to connect over the video platform of their choice. With SimpleVisit providers are able to deliver on-demand visits to patients over any device or platform they have available to them. For more information on SimpleVisit and on how we are enabling providers to host virtual visits check out www.SimpleVisit.com

Introducing: SimpleVisit Account Manager!

Introducing: SimpleVisit Account Manager!

Feature Release | 4 min read | August 20, 2020At SimpleVisit we are dedicated to helping healthcare providers offer telemedicine services in the most user-friendly way humanly possible. With that aim in mind, we are launching our new SimpleVisit Account Manager! This...

read more
Using Google Duo for Telemedicine

Using Google Duo for Telemedicine

Feature Release | 4 min read | July 17, 2020 Did you know that you can use common video calling applications for telemedicine appointments? You don’t have to purchase new equipment, learn new programs, or train staff on how to use a new application or EMR feature. The...

read more
The Journey Back: Part 1

The Journey Back: Part 1

Allie Clark | 10 min read | June 30, 2020The world has changed drastically.  Seemingly overnight, we were overwhelmed by a deadly pandemic with no end in sight.  The economy, daily life, and, yes, medical care had been up-ended in the wake of COVID-19. But where fear...

read more