The role of telemedicine in fostering health-care innovations to address problems of access, specialty shortages and changing patient care needs.

The integration of advanced technologies into health-care services promises to aid society in its transition to a coordinated, systems approach which is focused on disease prevention, enhanced wellness, chronic disease management, decision support, quality and patient safety. By incorporating such technologies, clinicians will be able to manage the growing volumes of medical information, research and decision support analytical tools. The deployment of advanced technologies will minimize the barriers of distance and geography to enhance access and facilitate the delivery of integrated health care. This will support and enhance the goals of the US federal Healthy People 2010 initiative.