What is a store-and-forward consultation?
A store-and-forward consultation is one in which information is captured from the patient at one time and location and evaluated by a specialist at another time and location. It derives its name from the fact that information is captured and “stored” in a digital file at one location and then transmitted or “forwarded” to another location for evaluation. Dermatology provides a good example of this type of consultation. In a dermatology store-and-forward consultation, a provider at a remote site typically takes digital pictures of the patient’s skin lesion with a digital camera and then uploads those images to a secure server along with other clinical information about the patient. At a later time, the dermatologist signs into that server, views the images and reviews the clinical information and writes a set of recommendations that are stored on the server. The referring physician or the original provider at his or her convenience can then sign into the server, review the recommendatio
