Telemedicine (also known as telehealth) is a fast growing industry that allows healthcare professionals to provide services remotely via telecommunication solutions like video conferencing and chat. Specifically, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services defines telehealth as:
“The use of electronic information and telecommunication technologies to support and promote long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health and health administration. Technologies include video conferencing, the internet, store-and-forward imaging, streaming media, and terrestrial and wireless communications.”
The telemedicine and telehealth industry is expected to reach $113 Billion by 2025. To meet this demand for telemedicine services, healthcare providers and organizations are adopting new technologies that enable effective remote communication.
Telemedicine Needs & Challenges
Like with traditional in-person interactions, telemedicine centers on personal health information (PHI) which is protected by HIPAA compliance requirements. The inherent nature of telemedicine can present data protection and security challenges. Not all solutions in use today (particular off-the-shelf applications) meet compliance standards and security best practices.
Healthcare organizations need telemedicine solutions that solve these common challenges:
- HIPAA HITECH compliant
- Strict user controls
- Endpoint device security and management
- Easy to access remotely
- High rate of device/OS compatibility
Virtual Desktops for Telemedicine
Virtual desktops (delivered via in-house VDI or desktop as a service) help telemedicine programs address many of these challenges by making desktops and applications more accessible and secure. In some cases, virtual desktops can also help address compliance needs by offering a HIPAA compliant desktop solution.
Accessible anywhere from any internet enabled device, virtual desktops make it easy for telemedicine programs to use the services of remote doctors and telehealth agents to meet needs any time of day. PHI accessed and logged during a telehealth session is also kept more secure since that data is only accessible from within the secure, password-protected virtual desktop environment. PHI and other sensitive data is never stored on the laptop, tablet, mobile phone or PC where it is vulnerable to loss, theft and mishandling.
Accessibility + Mobility + Security make virtual desktops an ideal solution for telemedicine and telehealth.
Dizzion Virtual Desktops in Telemedicine
Dizzion’s purpose-built virtual desktop infrastructure is specifically designed to support high-demand, highly regulated industries like healthcare, including telemedicine and telehealth. Our high availability solution enables top notch performance to end users anywhere – from doctors located in a hospital setting to at home telehealth agents.
Key features that make Dizzion virtual desktops ideal for telemedicine:
- Independently audited and verified as HIPAA HITECH compliant
- More than 100 security controls available
- Persistent and non-persistent desktop models available
- Cloud, on premise and hybrid deployments supported
- App streaming options available in conjunction with or independent of virtual desktops
To solve the unique challenges of telemedicine and telehealth, healthcare organizations need custom-built solutions that focus on easy access and communication without sacrificing security and compliance. Dizzion built a virtual desktop solution to do exactly that.