Telemedicine has been available for as long as the phone has been around. But the first visual telemedicine was introduced in Nebraska in the 1920s. Telemedicine has further developed over the last 10 to 12 years and is characterized as digital health care utilizing modern telecommunications.

In the area of telemedicine, various fields have been involved, and one that has seen significant strides is in urgent care and radiology. Teleradiology is a method of an automatic transmission from one location to another of radiographic images and related patient records.

The purpose of implementing a technique like teleradiology is to provide the radiology department and patients with a filmless and paperless substitute. New technologies and digital imaging have now made it easy for laptops and smartphones to view X-ray images.

Constant attempts have been made to improve teleradiology, and one such technology is the Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS). To handle and process vast quantities of data for health care services, picture archiving and interaction resources are important.

A radiologist may use any computer in any part of the world to access scanned images on the internet, as PACS is a cloud-based application. There is no special software or system needed. Using his / her credentials to sign in to enter the database, review the scanned images, and then upload the data into the system is the only thing a radiologist has to do. Since this whole process is so easy and web-based, access to the hospital is available as soon as the radiologist enters the report into the system and saves it.

To be compatible with the telemedicine application, radiologists need four key criteria to be present in PACS. Reasonable processing time for tests should be available, technical support should be available as appropriate, teleradiology personnel should be available to consult with the in-house radiologist and reports should be reliable in terms of information.

If you are frustrated with wasting time and money on doctor visits, CityDoc is a leader in telemedicine visits in North Texas and is here for you. We provide affordable health care as an in-network provider for most insurance plans. If you're without insurance, our easy self-pay pricing will go easy on the wallet.

Relax at home or work and connect with CityDoc for telemedicine services, which will provide 24/7 access to board-certified physicians for all non-emergent illnesses. Visit www.citydoc.net for more information.