Telemedicine is a trend that many hospitals around the country have adopted. Why exactly are telemedicine services so critical within the healthcare industry these days? Keep reading to learn the benefits, how best to adapt to new technology, and whether it’s the right move for your business.
Benefits of telemedicine in healthcare
By utilizing telemedicine, your business can reduce healthcare costs, while increasing efficiency. There are numerous benefits of implementing telemedicine services. We’ll share a few of what we believe to be the most important reasons.
It’s more accessible to patients. This is especially true during the global pandemic. Although Covid-19 cases are dropping, we’re not completely out of the woods. Many patients may feel more comfortable attending appointments virtually, in the safety of their own home. But even if the globe were not plagued by a novice virus, telemedicine would still benefit individuals who live in remote areas or those who are homebound and struggle to get out of the house. With video conferencing platforms and smartphone apps making it possible to connect with patients virtually, you may wonder why you haven’t already implemented telehealth at your practice.
Service that’s more cost-effective. If you want to save on healthcare service costs and help your patients save money, too, this technology is a cost-saving strategy. You may not see financial benefits immediately, but over time, it can:
- Make scheduling and rescheduling easier, which can raise the satisfaction of current patients while attracting new ones.
- Allow doctors to tend to more patients in significantly less time.
- Decrease the number of cancelled appointments and no-shows.
- Reduce overhead costs as doctors switch to working from home part of the time.
Reduces the spread of illnesses. It’s possible that telemedicine services are more valuable than ever before considering the Covid-19 spread. However, even if there wasn’t a global virus to contend with, there are many other diseases that can be spread, which telemedicine can reduce significantly. For example, when the elderly is exposed to the common flu, symptoms can turn deadly. Not to mention that infectious diseases can be spread with the common in-office visit, such as pneumonia and TB. With less exposure to other individuals, germs won’t spread as quickly. This is beneficial to everyone, but especially for those who are elderly, chronically ill, or pregnant.
Adapting to new technology
While the benefits are apparent, this switch will require some technical training and knowledge of new equipment. At first, this will take time and money, as you and your staff work to make an effective telehealth program. Training will be crucial, and it can take longer than expected to learn a new system. However, when you use the virtual care solution provided by Call 4 Health, we can make the process much easier. Let our 100% HIPAA-compliant virtual care solution become your new medical online service provider. Our effective telehealth solution can be set up in one day, not months. In no time, you will be able to create new workflows, no matter what medical industry your practice falls under.
The benefits of our virtual care solution include the following:
- Automates and simplifies complex workflows, which eliminates manual overhead and reduces costs.
- User-friendly – integrates seamlessly into existing workflows and healthcare settings.
- Intelligent routing to internal or overflow resources.
Additionally, you can utilize our nurse triage services to prevent your nurse staffing levels from decreasing. For example, while using telemedicine services, a nurse can assist up to 30 patients at once, evidence that too much of a good thing can lead to roadblocks. As most people in the medical industry know, lower staffing levels lead to poor patient outcomes.
When your patients call into our nurse triage, their call will be answered by a compassionate registered nurse who performs an assessment to guide tour patients to the appropriate level of care. We can even take calls after hours.
Contact Call 4 Health
If the question is, “Should my practice implement telehealth?” then the answer is yes. Its multitude of benefits can lower costs for your business and insurance companies, but most importantly, it can improve your patients’ access to quality care. Let the expert team at Call 4 Health assist you in your endeavors. Contact us today by filling out our form or calling (855) 244-3258.
Founded after a personal, heart-wrenching incident more than 20 years ago, Call 4 Health has gone from solely offering after-hours answering services to being a top-rated, complete communications BPO for healthcare facilities throughout the country.
