Answer Robert Cox, MD Jim Reid, PA-C Charles F. Turcan Robert Cox, MD Kansas University Medical Center and Hays Medical Center Equipment costs are high and the perception of the cost being unaffordable for rural sites makes the barrier even more difficult. Monthly access charges for access to the network vary across our area. Currently, the most remote, the most in need and the least able to pay sites have the greatest charges. Recurring monthly charges demand a high volume of usage to justify.
High volumes are difficult to develop at the start of a program.
Recruitment of medical professionals for telemedicine is costly. Time, effort, and dollars are expended. The real answer will depend highly on individual consideration of the network in question. The first two most costly components are network equipment and videoteleconferencing and diagnostic imaging equipment.