The Telehealth Revolution Has Begun!

December 30, 2022

As the pandemic spread in 2020, rapid telehealth adoption became a necessity. The biggest challenge was to protect frontline healthcare professionals, so they must continue providing patient care, conserve personal protective equipment, and reduce exposure in healthcare facilities. Remote video conversations offered hope and connection for COVID-19 victims who had suffered severe side effects.

The development of telehealth solutions has accelerated with the arrival of remote monitoring devices that healthcare professionals can use to check in on patients with diabetes and heart disease wirelessly. Additionally, these gadgets have boosted telecom technology and increased the use of smartphones.

What is Telehealth?

Telehealth provides clinical care over long distances, educates patients and healthcare professionals, promotes public health, and manages health care. Some examples of it include videoconferencing, storing and forwarding imagery, streaming media, and terrestrial and wireless communications.

It enables patients to visit providers virtually without needing to travel physically to the doctor's office. Most telehealth services are performed online on a device with internet connectivity, such as a computer, tablet, or smartphone.

In terms of telehealth care, there are many choices available:

  • A patient can speak to a primary care physician face-to-face, over the phone, or via video chat.
  • When communicating with the healthcare practitioner, the patient can use email, secure messaging, secure file exchange, and secure messaging.
  • While leveraging remote patient monitoring, the provider can check on the patient while they stay outside the traditional care facility. For instance, you might use a gadget to record your vital signs, so your provider can monitor your progress.

The History of Telehealth

In a 1962 episode of the well-known animated program The Jetsons, Jane Jetson called the family provider over a video screen to inquire about her son Elroy, who had signs of the "Venus Virus."

Roughly 6 decades after the episode aired, telehealth has made a name for itself as a revolutionary tool for ailment diagnosis over long distances. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought telehealth to the fore, and merging it with other ground-breaking technology will increase its capabilities beyond diagnostics.

The Purpose of Telehealth

Telehealth app improves the medical practice's efficiency and increases revenue. With Telehealth, healthcare professionals can expand their clinic's capacity virtually. Increasing the number of visits not only boosts revenue, but may also preserve patient relationships by keeping patients from switching to another practitioner.

Telehealth solutions might not replace in-person care because healthcare professionals can formulate and implement a strategy based on the situation and how well it fits other options.

The Benefits of Telehealth

The frequency of virtual visits is rising. Telehealth has several benefits, even though physical encounters are occasionally necessary.

  • Minimal physical contact reduces everyone's COVID-19 exposure.
  • Virtual visits allow the patient to obtain medical care anywhere, including at home, work, or traveling.
  • Virtual visits lessen the need for child care, travel, and time away from the office.
  • Reducing appointment wait times is possible with virtual healthcare tools.
  • Access to specialists who are far away from your base of operations.  

Computers and mobile devices are used in Telehealth to provide virtual care, patient education in healthcare, healthcare management, and public health efforts. The advantages and difficulties of Telehealth for healthcare providers in every field have been made clear by sudden, fast adoption.

Advantages of Telehealth Solution for Providers

Healthcare providers have long benefited from Telehealth, even though the advantages to patients can seem more obvious:

1. Improved Access to Care

It is crucial to have the ability to manage minor COVID symptoms while the patient is secure and at ease at home. Since many patients have avoided waiting rooms and institutions during the pandemic, remote diagnosis and medication are a welcome respite.

2. Higher Patient Engagement Rates

Patients anticipate the same level of service from their healthcare professionals: how they can order shoes and food with a tap. Patients can participate in their care through online feedback, appointment scheduling, and digital reminders, freeing providers from menial activities that take them away from patient care.

3. Better Patient Outcomes

A notable improvement in healthcare outcomes is among Telehealth's most intriguing advantages for providers. Care for chronic conditions is the perfect fit for telehealth. With the use of remote patient monitoring technologies, problems with monitoring diabetes, heart problems, behavioral health, etc., have been solved.

4. Lower Rates of No-shows and Readmissions to Hospitals

Patients can now attend appointments from any accessible location or device, allowing them to no longer miss clinic visits because of transportation concerns, mobility issues, or disability.

5. Cost-saving

One of the most thoroughly studied benefits of Telehealth is cost savings. Your practice will save overhead and allocate resources more effectively if you use telemedicine.

Telehealth Challenges for Providers

Telehealth services support healthcare. However, there are obstacles to overcome, such as costs, inconsistent rules, excessive promotion, adoption and competitiveness, technology, a lack of studies, and success.

Despite the benefits of telehealth, integrating this next-generation technology into the healthcare industry poses some challenges for providers.

1. Reimbursement

The fact that Medicaid and Medicare did not pay for it at the same rate as conventional in-person appointments are one of the main problems with telehealth.

2. Regulations

Another biggest barrier to telehealth is the rules and regulations associated with it. Despite the numerous advantages of telehealth, providers are reluctant to offer it.

3. Scalability

Scalability-related issues present the main telehealth concerns for healthcare providers. Implementing, resolving, and scaling telehealth benefits can be challenging for healthcare organizations without next-generation technology.

Bottom Line

This guide explained the telehealth revolution in healthcare and enlisted all the advantages and challenges of using Telehealth for providers. TalkEHR is a new, practical alternative that promises better care with higher access standards. It enhances the likelihood of referrals and raises patient satisfaction because it is a convenient choice.