5 Reasons For Changing Your Health Care Model

Telehealth: Who really needs it? This is a question healthcare professionals are asking less and less these days, as 84% believe telehealth will become an important part of their operations. Despite the growing consensus among experts about telehealth's indispensability, it is still worthwhile to go through a few of the reasons why adopting this technology now is a wise move.

Five Reasons Telehealth is For You:

We Live in a Digital Age. Telemedicine makes full use of the efficiencies afforded by technology, allowing service providers across the board to recognize the labor-saving, cost-effective, and profit-generating powers of digital networking for a plethora of services. It isn't just a fad; digital information systems provide adaptability, real-time information, custom information and much more to a healthcare system that needs all the help it can get. Healthcare reform is slow, but the ball is rolling and hill is about to become a cliff. Jump on before you miss out.

Telehealth Improves Services. The advantages of having a network of accessible specialists at a patient's fingertips cannot be oversold. Not only is it generally convenient to have such ready access, it is also special needs and disability friendly, facilitating all modes of healthcare for all manner of unique cases. Telehealth eliminates the problem of distance and travel for many routine examinations and neatly compliments in-person evaluations. In everything from remote patient monitoring to specialist consultations, telemedicine is a tool for a practitioner seeking to build a secure and comprehensive practice, without all the surplus overhead expenses of scheduling only in-person consultations.

Telehealth Saves Money. When in-person clients cancel appointments at the last minute or prove to be no-shows, the loss of time is a loss of money. Telehealth scheduling lessens this risk, because the time commitment of an instant at-the-ready online appointment is negligible as well as easily rescheduled. Hosting visits online frees up exam rooms for the in-person procedures that generate revenue. Many telemedicine providers allow patients to search for and schedule their own appointments, saving labor costs for clerical work. Not to mention the money a patient saves on travel expenses traveling to and from their home. Costs like these add up in rural areas where doctors, especially general practitioners, are scarce, as well as in urban areas where time is money.

Telehealth Adoption is Inevitable. Studies all over the internet predict that telehealth services will soon become an expected part of the healthcare landscape. Early adopters already exist in every aspect of healthcare from large hospital chains to single physician practices to accountable care networks. Even insurance providers and employers are providing telemedicine to their members, proof that preventative medicine saves everyone money. Patients shopping for providers will gravitate toward the most up to date practices, judging the quality of a practice based on the quality and quantity of their capabilities.

 It Isn’t That Different. When asked what would be the major consideration for using video telemedicine, 42% respondents in a Freelance MD study answered ease of use. Many telemedicine providers are providing just that, a simple and easy to platform that integrates effortlessly into regular operations. For example, TruClinic's platform is browser-based, no software packages needed or installation hassels to worry about. Just click a link your provider emails to you, or login and you're in your provider's waiting room.

This list of reasons why to adopt telehealth is nowhere near exhaustive. Nevertheless, it presents a convincing picture of why telehealth is a powerful supplement to the future of healthcare. It goes to show that 84% of healthcare experts can't be mistaken; the writing is on the wall. For more reasons than one, telehealth is healthcare's next big step.

5/27/2015 7:00:00 AM
Laurel Christensen
Laurel is a telemedicine advocate. The healthcare landscape is changing rapidly and telehealth is the solution that we never knew we'd been missing. With benefits for patients, providers, payers and everyone in between, telemedicine is here to stay.
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