Sometimes telemedicine is best understood in terms of the services provided and the mechanisms used to provide those services. Here are some examples. Keep in mind that this list grows annually:

Primary care and specialist referral services may involve a primary care or allied health professional providing a consultation with a patient or a specialist assisting the primary care physician in rendering a diagnosis. This may involve the use of live interactive video or the use of store and forward transmission of diagnostic images, vital signs and/or video clips along with patient data for later review.

Remote patient monitoring, including home telehealth, uses devices to remotely collect and send data to a home health agency or a remote diagnostic testing facility (RDTF) for interpretation. Such applications might include a specific vital sign, such as blood glucose or heart ECG or a variety of indicators for homebound patients. Such services can be used to supplement the use of visiting nurses.

Consumer medical and health information includes the use of the Internet and wireless devices for consumers to obtain specialized health information and on-line discussion groups to provide peer-to-peer support.

Medical education provides continuing medical education credits for health professionals and special medical education seminars for targeted groups in remote locations.

Learn more: https://www.healthit.gov/sites/default/files/telehealthguide_final_0.pdf