Abstract
What are you prepared to do? This is a line spoken several times by Sean Connery's character in the 1987 motion picture “The Untouchables.” In this movie, Connery's character, a Chicago police detective, is talking with Kevin Costner's character, Elliot Ness, about what to do to capture famed gangster Al Capone. He exclaims this line several times in the movie, basically, asking what Ness is prepared to do to achieve the ultimate goal of capturing Capone. Each of us is of course prepared to do whatever it takes to be the best at what we do. We may risk our lives, we will endure long years of training to be the best skier, to earn a college or professional degree, or convince those we work with that telemedicine is a useful tool in healthcare.
So we ask you, the telemedicine researcher, the telemedicine practitioner, the telemedicine entrepreneur, the administrator, the policy maker, what are you prepared to do? If we truly want to modernize medicine, achieve higher efficiencies, and be more responsive to public health needs, locally, nationally, and globally, then we must be prepared to embrace change. We understand the challenges that we face. Often they seem insurmountable. As this editorial is being written, 33 miners are coming to the surface in Chile after being trapped in a subterranean mine. The entire world is watching this event unfold with awe. All parties involved did whatever it took to make it happen. Throughout our history as a human race, we have done whatever it takes to achieve a common goal. Addressing the future of healthcare is not any different. In fact, the future of the human race is predicated on its ability to respond to disease and other health concerns.
Whether it was to catch a criminal in a Hollywood movie about an historical event, conquer space, or rescue miners trapped underground, we have been prepared to do whatever it takes. In healthcare reform, we face many challenges and opportunities. There is a growing shortage of medical personnel worldwide, including physicians and nurses. There is a growing and aging population with an ever higher life expectancy. The increase in life expectancy worldwide is a direct result of innovation and communication, both being key tools in telemedicine. Technology got us to this point in time. We need to use it to address our needs. We must be prepared to move to the next step.
Over the past several decades, research has been conducted in a variety of settings and with a focus on numerous clinical areas, where telecommunications and information systems technology have been brought to bear. Telemedicine has been applied worldwide and has been shown to be effective, scientifically sound, and capable of quality care with cost savings. Perhaps no other point in time has such a pirouette been possible. The perfect storm has arrived. What are you prepared to do?
The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) recently wrapped up its midyear meeting in Baltimore, MD. The event, the ATA Summit 2010, had a record number of attendees and all participants got a first-hand perspective from government officials and leaders in the field. It also marked the first time that the senior management from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) was in attendance and gave prepared remarks. In fact, the perfect storm so eloquently espoused by the ATA president, Dr. Dale Alverson, may have reached a new pinnacle. The CMS current administrator, Donald Berwick, M.D., and immediate past administrator, Mark McClellan, delivered impassioned arguments for the increased adoption and reimbursement for telemedicine services. Perhaps, collectively, we are finally prepared to embrace telemedicine as an effective tool that works, that saves money, and that can be a reimbursable across the board. What are we prepared to do?
A word about the journal and the current issue: The Telemedicine and e-Health Journal continues to be the number one journal on telemedicine in the world. In the coming months, you will see some changes that will reflect a concentration on the best papers that are out there. The quality and integrity continue to rise and as such our selectivity is important as we ensure you have access to cutting edge research in telemedicine and nascent material that adds value to your efforts. Our current rejection rate is 40% and growing. The time from receipt of original work to publication is approximately 6 months. Each issue going forward will have 10 top papers from your peers. The journal is also the venue of choice for sharing ATA-specific policy documents because they are enduring materials that serve as useful tools.
The journal is also aligned with other professional organizations throughout the world. It is the journal of choice when it comes to publishing telemedicine research. The journal and its publisher are prepared to do whatever it takes to sustain it as the number one journal.
This issue continues the record of bringing you the outcomes your peers are achieving. Each paper highlights results of effective applications of technology and innovation in healthcare that stretches across the globe. The journal can also be a valuable tool, in that the results can serve as a solid evidence to support what you are prepared to do. Bring telemedicine to the forefront! CMS is finally looking forward. What are you prepared to do?