Abstract
Twenty years and going strong! How thrilling it is to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Telemedicine and e-Health.
I first became interested in telemedicine as an important tool for radiologists—and then other specialties. I was fascinated with telemedicine's ability to help provide excellence of care for people in communities that did not have academic medical centers and communities that either had a community hospital, or none at all. I thought about our military, and then telecommunications and teleconferencing to discuss the best course of care for patients across the disease spectrum. I was convinced that telemedicine had an urgent imperative in healthcare and was determined to ensure that there would be a peer-reviewed journal that would contribute significantly to this goal.
So, I read and researched and, in 1994, contacted Mark Goldberg, MD, who was at that time at American Telemedicine International in Boston. Mark felt strongly that he did not want to undertake the editorship of this proposed new journal unless we could bring in Rashid Bashshur, PhD, at the University of Michigan, who would oversee the in-depth academic peer review. I learned from Mark that Rashid and Jay Sanders, MD, at the Medical College of Georgia, were already thinking about doing such a journal. This did not dissuade me, however, and I was determined that we should join forces and together launch a journal of the highest quality editorial content and integrity. It wasn't easy to convince Rashid and Jay, but I was so unwavering and committed that they finally agreed.
In 1995, the Journal was launched as a quarterly publication under the title Telemedicine Journal. Mark was the Editor-in-Chief, and Rashid and Jay were Senior Editors. This first issue had 11 articles and a fine editorial by the late and esteemed Michael E. DeBakey, MD. I was extremely proud of the content, and I had designed a cover that I thought well conveyed its mission and movement of the field going forward. As I look at this cover, preparing to write this editorial, I still think it is wonderful, and I am tempted to give it a new life!
Remarkably, Telemedicine Journal achieved early indexing in Current Contents and MEDLINE, no small feat.
Two years later, Telemedicine Journal joined forces with the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) and became its official journal. Jon Linkous was its Executive Director, and he was a master at growing the society and managing the board's diverse interests, opinions, and ambitions. That's never easy, and while we were pleased to have this affiliation with the association, it had its tenuous moments as the ATA and the Journal both grew, separately and together. Jon was as strongly committed and tenacious as was I, and we worked hard together to resolve any differences. Again, no small feat.
In 2001, the title of the Journal was changed to Telemedicine Journal and e-Health to reflect an important element of the field's growth. However, 3 years later another title change was in order, and we dropped the word “Journal” from the title. Fortunately the academic and medical community supported these changes, so we continued, full speed ahead.
By 2005, the field was very robust and changing rapidly. To best convey important new developments, we added a section that included news, interviews, roundtable discussions, and other features to enhance the contribution of the Journal to the telemedicine community. This new editorial content was very well received, but the Journal remained true to its provenance, a very authoritative peer-reviewed academic journal.
Two years later, the frequency of Telemedicine and e-Health expanded to six issues a year, and Ronald C. Merrell, MD, and Charles R. Doarn, MBA, took the helm. Their energy and dedication mirrored the commitment of the founding editors, and again we had a productive, robust, and enjoyable relationship. I continued to be involved in the Journal's growth and development because my interest in the field remained absolute, and I was prone to suggesting new ideas! Ron and Chuck liked some, rejected others, and together we were making great strides. Happily, working beside me was our equally energetic and knowledgeable Executive Vice President and Managing Editor, Vicki Cohn, who came to know Ron and Chuck well and was involved in all aspects of the Journal's editorial and production issues.
The Journal also became the official journal of the Canadian Telehealth Forum and the International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth.
In 2008, the Journal increased to 10 issues per year, growing to monthly in 2013. This was a major step that reflected the use of telemedicine in the broadest sense in the healthcare environment around the world. This growth accelerated the need for business leaders to move the field forward while taking into consideration new applications for patient care, policy, and the many difficulties inherent in reimbursement. We also felt the need to meet new reading habits: would the online version of the Journal be as effective as the print version? Libraries were beginning to shed print subscriptions. However, there were also members of the telemedicine community who still wanted to read their journal in print. It was a dilemma, but we felt strongly that we had to meet the needs of both constituencies. And so we do.
Now that the Affordable Care Act has been passed into law, there will be new issues to deal with, and medical institutions, manufacturers, regulators, healthcare professionals themselves, and the patient population who have much to gain from the new technologies that the field embraces.
In the very first issue's editorial, Mark Goldberg wrote, “If the Journal serves to stimulate rigorous scientific research in the nascent telemedicine field, then it will have been a success.” As I peruse the many issues that we've published, I am as excited about the field as I was at the beginning. Perhaps even more so.
As I write this, I congratulate Ron and Chuck and all of the Journal's Editorial Board members who actively participate in the solicitation of articles and the integrity of peer review.
I'm so gratified to recognize all that we've accomplished to date, what we are accomplishing now, and what we will accomplish in the future!! I'm ready to party!
Telemedicine and e-Health: It's The Journal of Record!