Last, recalling Marshall McLuhan's (1964) phrase from the 1960s-"the media is the message"-the importance of bold, innovative ways to promote telehealth must be emphasized. The medium, rather than the message itself, may be the deciding factor to reach hesitant, resistant, or nontraditional stakeholders.
Acknowledgment
Support for this project was provided by the Office for Advancement of Telehealth (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) through the Pennsylvania Homecare Association.
PRACTITIONER APPLICATION
I like technology. I think that the future of quality healthcare depends on our ability to appropriately use technology to better the human condition. When I read Dansky and Ajello's article, I thought, "Absolutely, let's do it." The article presents the following bottom line:
* Telehealth is a clinical information system that enables the interaction of voice, video, and data using ordinary telephone lines.
* Home health service providers are seeking operational alternatives that reduce their costs while maintaining or improving the quality of patient care.
* To be successful, telehealth must be aligned with operational activities such as marketing.
* There is a relationship between the organization's stated purpose for adopting telehealth-clinical excellence, technological preeminence, or cost containment-and the marketing approaches used to promote telehealth.