In the September, 2011 issue of ACP Hospitalist, “Useless Charts and Fresh Eyes in Handoffs”, Dr. Vineet Arora discusses an extremely relevant component of the practice of group medicine, the “Handoff”. This is where one physician signs out or handoffs to another physician partner or fellow resident about the patient they will now assume care.

Unless done properly, care from one healthcare provider to another is not seamless and can often result in duplicative diagnostic tests or therapies both expensive and fraught with the potential for adverse effects. Utilizing technology as we know today is one reason why in the practice of telemedicine we have the tools for all members of the team to be updated as to a current problem list, a to do list, and especially a don’t forget to do list. Access to this communication tool should be available to all who participate in the care of patients. An important practice modality for physicians especially those in the field of telemedicine. C3O Telemedicine includes this aspect of care in it’s telemedicine solution.