Telemedicine in Healthcare Organisations

Abstract

Diminishing funds from the government and cost control led many health care providers across the globe to search for alternative and more cost-effective means of providing care (Edelstein, 1999; Neame, 1995). In many cases, this has become necessary for survival (Edelstein, 1999) in order to sustain the increased competition as well amongst health care providers. The business of health care has become so competitive that many small rural hospitals are trying to align themselves with larger tertiary care centres in a community health information network, a telemedicine network, or some other type of partnership in order to survive and to retain their local patients (Huston & Huston, 2000).