A telemedicine device is implemented in an integrated housing, which includes a display, input/output ports, a videoconferencing codec, and a codec-independent hardware user interface. A processor receives inputs through the user interface, translates them into instructions understandable by the codec, and sends the translated instruction to the codec for execution. The user interface can be standardized, such that it is identical regardless of the codec in use, and can group functions logically (e.g., call control, video functions, audio functions).