When Dr. Joe Kvedar, dermatologist and long-time telehealth champion, first heard about telehealth in 1992, there was no way for him to imagine he would be driving innovation, creating the market, and gaining acceptance for connected health for nearly three decades. In the 1990’s, to take high quality pictures for use in dermatology, it cost more than $12,000 just to purchase the right camera to use with telehealth. That same picture is now taken with a patient’s smart phone in a matter of seconds. The Wyoming Telehealth Network caught up with Dr. Kvedar, the immediate Past Chair of the Board of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), to talk about the organization’s second annual Telehealth Awareness Week and his own experiences with the ever-changing medical field.
Being ahead of the curve is nothing new for Dr. Kvedar. He has been innovating in the field of telehealth since 1994 at Massachusetts General Hospital where he formed a committee to begin understanding how telehealth could be used to decrease barriers to healthcare. This led to his overseeing the program that became a best practice model for providers throughout the globe.
