{"id":256,"date":"2021-06-10T17:24:14","date_gmt":"2021-06-10T17:24:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wellreceived.com\/blog\/?p=256"},"modified":"2025-07-17T11:40:02","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T11:40:02","slug":"telehealth-telemedicine-the-differences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wellreceived.com\/blog\/telehealth-telemedicine-the-differences\/","title":{"rendered":"Telemedicine vs. Telehealth: What\u2019s the difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The terms \u201ctelehealth\u201d and \u201ctelemedicine\u201d have been gaining popularity since before COVID-19 made remote medical services a priority. Over half of adults who\u2019ve used telehealth in the past year intend to continue doing so post-pandemic. Virtual receptionists, teleconferencing software, and wearable tech are streamlining healthcare services for patients and doctors. But there is still confusion over what defines telehealth, what defines telemedicine, and <strong>what is the difference between telehealth and telemedicine<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is a Fitbit smartwatch considered telehealth? Are remote medical appointments an example of telehealth, telemedicine, or both?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The short answer is telemedicine <em>is <\/em>telehealth. <strong>Telehealth<\/strong> is an umbrella term encompassing the use of telecommunications and other technologies to improve the healthcare of individuals. <strong>Telemedicine<\/strong> specifically refers to the use of remote technology to provide a healthcare service. Think: video appointments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those definitions leave a lot of room for overlap, so let\u2019s look at the long answer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/wr_blog\/1\/2021\/06\/wellreceived-telehealth-blog-cover-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"man having a telemedicine consultation\" class=\"wp-image-269\" srcset=\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/wr_blog\/1\/2021\/06\/wellreceived-telehealth-blog-cover-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/wr_blog\/1\/2021\/06\/wellreceived-telehealth-blog-cover-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/wr_blog\/1\/2021\/06\/wellreceived-telehealth-blog-cover-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/wr_blog\/1\/2021\/06\/wellreceived-telehealth-blog-cover-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/wr_blog\/1\/2021\/06\/wellreceived-telehealth-blog-cover.jpg 1890w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is telehealth?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Telehealth covers a wide range of services and devices that bridge the distance between individuals and their healthcare providers. These can be divided up into four categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Synchronous <\/strong>&#8211; Synchronous telehealth refers to any method allowing patients to communicate instantly with their healthcare provider. A video appointment or a web chat with an advice nurse fall under this category.\u00a0<\/li><li><strong>Asynchronous <\/strong>&#8211; Also known as store-and-forward telehealth, this covers any process that collects a patient\u2019s information, stores it on a cloud-based platform, and makes it accessible by a healthcare provider at a different location. For example, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellreceived.com\/services\/virtual-medical-receptionist\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">medical answering service<\/span> <\/a> takes a patient\u2019s message and sends it to a secure inbox to be retrieved by a physician.<\/li><li><strong>Remote patient monitoring (RPM) <\/strong>&#8211; RPM refers to the use of devices to remotely monitor a patient\u2019s health. Physicians use these devices to track glucose levels, heart rate, blood pressure, weight loss or gain, and more. These devices update healthcare providers in real-time allowing them to respond quickly if needed.<\/li><li><strong>mHealth <\/strong>&#8211; Also known as mobile health, mHealth is similar to remote patient monitoring. Patients can use wearable technology\u2014such as Fitbits, iWatches, and heart rate monitors\u2014to track their health. Smartphone apps and smart scales allowing patients to track sleep, heart rate, blood sugar levels, and much more fall into this category as well. However, the primary purpose of this data is promoting wellness, rather than keeping healthcare providers informed.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is telemedicine?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Telemedicine vs telehealth: what is the difference? <\/strong>Telemedicine fits firmly into the synchronous category of telehealth by allowing healthcare providers to offer services in real-time. Healthcare providers and patients use software on a laptop, smartphone, tablet, or other device to communicate live as an alternative to an in-person visit.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Making telemedicine and telehealth work for you<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Incorporating telehealth or telemedicine into your practice requires secure, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellreceived.com\/features\/HIPAA-compliant-answering-service\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">HIPAA-compliant <\/span><\/a> software; broadband Internet access, staff training, and a range of devices. However, the benefits you and your patients will receive from telehealth make it well worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Lower costs for you and your patients. <\/strong>Telehealth appointments require less overhead and cut down on no-shows. They\u2019re also more affordable for patients. One study shows Oregon Health and Science University <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.acsh.org\/news\/2016\/01\/18\/virtual-doctors-visits-the-promises-of-telemedicine\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">saved their patients $6.4 million in annual travel costs<\/span><\/a> by implementing telemedicine.<\/li><li><strong>Improve your clinic\u2019s efficiency. <\/strong>With cloud-based data storage and real-time communication, telehealth can streamline updating patient records, triaging symptoms, and delivering care.<\/li><li><strong>Give patients better access to care. <\/strong>Telemedicine is instrumental in helping rural or mobility-limited patients receive the care they deserve. In the study mentioned above, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center found that 40% of patients will skip making an appointment if a virtual visit isn\u2019t an option.<\/li><li><strong>Provide better patient education. <\/strong>Wearable tech, smartphone apps, and other mHealth or remote patient monitoring devices improve patient self-care. Easy health tracking and user-friendly interfaces assist patients in creating a wellness-focused lifestyle.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Telehealth isn\u2019t going anywhere anytime soon, and patients will expect their healthcare providers to offer telehealth in some form. Fortunately, the wide range of telehealth and telemedicine options ensure healthcare clinics can pick and choose the services that best fit their\u2014and their patients&#8217;\u2014needs. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The terms \u201ctelehealth\u201d and \u201ctelemedicine\u201d have been gaining popularity since before COVID-19 made remote medical services&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":269,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[28],"class_list":["post-256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-services","tag-telehealth"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Telehealth vs Telemedicine: What\u2019s the Difference?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore the key 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