Telemedicine can help bring quality health care to patients in rural or underserved areas. For example, a woman in a rural area without access to a mammography center may visit a mobile unit to receive a digital mammogram.

After the digital mammogram, the technician at the local site reviews the x-ray. The technician sends the image to an expert at a distant location via satellite or telephone land lines.

Rather than waiting for traditional x-ray films to arrive by mail or courier, the expert receives and views the results of the digital mammogram almost instantly. The expert examines the digital mammogram to locate potentially cancerous masses in the breast.

A quick e-mail or phone call conveys the diagnosis.