1. Virtual visits already exist! This enables specialists to provide consults to community hospitals (provider-to-provider), on-call physicians to round remotely and patients to have follow-up visits with their psychiatrist or specialist (patient-to-provider) from the convenience and comfort of their homes.

http://connectedhealth.partners.org/patient-programs/virtual-care/virtual-visits.aspx

2. Envision what the health care system of 2030 might look like? Describe at least two

technological advancements that would be available to patients. How would
technology help providers make health care decisions? How would patients and
families interact with providers from their homes or in their communities? What
would health care systems be able to do “in real time?”

Technology is advancing so much that many medical professionals are having to continue
their education to keep up. With advancing technology, individuals are able to
care for themselves more at home. There are online doctors and nurse
practitioners that you can see in real time through an app. This is the face of
the future of medicine. This will be easier for patients and allow them to stay
home when they are sick, rather than exposing more people. “Today, an
increased number of chronically ill persons use advanced medical technology for
self-care at home (5, 6), such as oxygen equipment for long-term treatment (7),
ventilators (8, 9) or equipment for blood or peritoneal dialysis (10).
Self-care at home in this context means possibilities to enhance one’s quality
of life compared to treatment in hospital (11, 12), but is also the result of
health reforms aimed at reducing the length of hospital stay (13, 14)” (Fex, A., Flensner, G., Ek, A., &
Söderhamn, O., 2011).

References

Fex, A., Flensner, G., Ek, A., &
Söderhamn, O. (2011). Health-illness transition among persons using advanced
medical technology at home. Scandinavian Journal Of Caring Sciences, 25(2),
253-261. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6712.2010.00820.x