We've been hearing from a lot of people that they want to give telemedicine a try. Many providers have been noticing the overall thriving of the field. Others are drawn in by data showing collaboration (especially using telemedicine) can decrease length of stay, cut readmissions, and improve rates of healthcare provider burnout. 

But despite the interest in medical collaboration with telemedicine, many people aren't sure where to start. We're the first to admit that it can feel overwhelming to pick up a new tool or adopt a new habit!

So here are 4 easy ways you can try telemedicine before the day is over:

• Start with someone you know and trust. Think of the last colleague -- it might be a nurse, doctor, or other provider -- that you had a great conversation with or who solved a problem with you. That's the person with whom to try telemedicine and collaboration. Start with people you already know and trust, and grow your collaborative circle from there. 
• Keep it simple. Even chatting with a colleague about their day can open the door to problem-solving, so that is a great place to start. And when you are ready to collaborate using telemedicine, start with a simple case. You can always build up to consults on your most complex case, but getting a consult or two on more basic issues lets you build up confidence. That way, when you do reach out about a tricky patient, you're not worried about the telemedicine piece of it.
• Organize a “cool case” breakfast or lunch. We used to take medical students out to egg sandwiches before work to discuss unusual cases and share stories. While this isn't technically telemedicine, it is definitely collaboration -- and that is the important part. 
• Try iClickCare for free. You can start inviting colleagues, sharing cases, and connecting for a couple of weeks with no cost and no complicated set-up.

Plus, we put together a couple of "quick guides" to telemedicine and medical collaboration, and we're offering them for free -- so take your pick and get started.

Image courtesy of svoalex on flickr.com, used under Creative Commons rights.