Nor is it intended as an A to Z encyclopedia of telemedicine. Instead, this book is offered as a reference manual which contains largely experientially based information. Many of the lessons and insights shared in this manual were learned at the Eastern Montana Telemedicine Network where the author served as the principal developer and first director for approximately four years. Jim Logan, MD, a friend and fellow consultant, freely shares a meaningful saying about consultants. Good judgment comes from experience.
Experience comes from bad judgment.
We have a lot of experience. Every allowance should be made for that fact. Although the author has been significantly involved in four US telemedicine projects, the bulk of the data cited herein comes from the Eastern Montana Telemedicine Network. This is because it is the most mature of the four programs and the one at which the author had the greatest access to data. Undoubtedly there are other programs that have generated data comparable to that provided herein, and some that have generated contradicting data as well.