We at Capstone Health Consultants are pleased to provide the Utopia University Medical Center Board of Directors with our recommendations regarding the design, development, and implementation of a multidisciplinary telemedicine program for peripheral clinics. In this document we will discuss the advantages and challenges that exist in creating such a service. We will then look in detail at the important ethical and legal considerations, the standards that must be met, as well as the costs, training and implementation issues that we believe may arise. Finally, we will discuss possible future developments and the return on investment of the project. Utopia University Medical Center Utopia University Medical Center (UUMC) is at the center of a thriving network of schools, clinics, and healthcare organizations serving the larger Utopia area. Founded over 40 years ago, UUMC's mission remains, as it has since its inception, to "promote health and well-being through education, research and patient care" through the core values ​​of "innovation, collaboration , responsibility, respect and excellence" (San Giuda Hospital). With more than 375 licensed beds, UUMC recorded more than 18,000 hospitalizations last year and more than 60,000 emergency room visits. Additionally, affiliated medical clinics in the utopian area have conducted more than 370,000 outpatient visits. A wide range of specialty services are provided at these clinics, ranging from audiology to wound care. Although clinics and patients located in close proximity to UUMC can benefit from sub-specialty services, there is growing concern that patients living in rural parts of the state do not have access to such services in outlying clinics or must travel for hundreds of miles… middle of paper… and population growth will certainly contribute to these challenges. A comprehensive understanding of the landscape of each of these areas is vital to the successful development and implementation of a telehealth program. The technical issues that need to be addressed are quite simple and largely concern the creation and maintenance of a telemedicine clinic. A clear understanding of the stakeholders in such a program is needed along with a delineation of the services that will initially be provided by telemedicine clinics. As we mentioned, we believe that starting with neurology, dermatology, and rheumatology clinics in three rural offices is the best way to start your telemedicine initiative. It obviously follows that it will be necessary to acquire hardware that meets both communications and privacy standards along with the hiring and training of staff.