Status of Telemedicine
Did you know that telemedicine is evolving quicker than ever?
With the rapid advancement of technology, telemedicine services have become more affordable and accessible. Telemedicine service companies provide virtual medical care, hospital staffing options, and virtual doctor visits. Keep reading to learn more about how telemedicine services like what we offer here at Call 4 Health are changing the medical industry.
Telemedicine Mobile Apps
Telemedicine providers have created a range of mobile apps to help consumers track their health. Simple portable gadgets for monitoring body vitals, including glucose and blood pressure at home, have also been developed.
Telemedicine Clinical Guidelines
Telemedicine, like other services, has a set of rules to follow. While there is no separate, standard set of standards for telemedicine providers and consumers, the American Medical Association (AMA) has developed a set of clinical recommendations for telemedicine services.
- Conditions that need in-person evaluation by a licensed physician or doctor should not be treated through telemedicine.
- Notifying the patient: Telemedicine providers must inform patients about the services, technological limitations, and communication procedures.
- Patient assessment and management: Healthcare professionals must identify the patient’s telemedicine needs.
What Telemedicine Providers Do
- They identify the patient’s needs.
- Refer the patient to a qualified physician.
- Collect patient data for diagnostics and database storage.
- Billing information: Telemedicine providers can notify patients of anticipated medical expenses.
Telemedicine’s Future
Some researchers believe that the Telehealth Market is estimated to reach USD 70.19 billion by 2026.
A significant majority of Americans have expressed interest in telemedicine services. This expansion of telehealth services is expected to alleviate the overload of the nation’s health care capacity by delivering timely care for initial screening of symptomatic patients and potentially keep them away from hospitals to protect clinicians and other patients. (National Institute of Health Report, June 2020)
Technological advances like virtual reality, combined with an ever-growing user base of telemedicine services, point to an exciting future for telemedicine. In the not-too-distant future, remote-controlled robotic arms and smartwatches that link to health trackers through wireless networks or Bluetooth will also be important in telemedicine.
Why TeleMed?
TeleMedicine reduces expenses while offering patients conveniences like decreased travel time and other difficulties. It addresses contemporary issues like physician shortages, staffing shrotages and health risks. Doctors can now provide excellent virtual consultations because of improved communication technologies, making it easier for patients to get the help they need.
Telemedicine is changing every industry, including healthcare. Computers, the internet, and mobile phones change how people interact, seek and share information, and enhance their lives. This may help address worldwide health issues if advancement and accessibility permits..
TeleMedicine Types
TeleMedicine has three kinds of solutions, we’ve listed them below:
Asynchronous TeleMedicine
It is a technique for storing and forwarding patient medical information to medical experts to remotely evaluate their health. This approach allows medical practitioners to examine patient data at their leisure. A doctor may be in a different time zone. There is radiology, dermatology, and ophthalmology used for this solution.
Remote Monitoring (Telemonitoring)
This allows for remote patient monitoring. It is helpful for elderly people with chronic illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes, and even asthma.
Real-Time Interactive Synchronous TeleMedicine
This enables physicians to provide instant medical advice to patients through video conferencing. It’s suitable for primary care and follow-up. TeleMedicine technology safeguards patient privacy and adheres to HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) requirements.
TeleMedicine Equipment
Telemedicine systems collect voice and visual data.
A typical room system features a screen and a microphone. They are used for medical treatment, teaching, and administration.
Small devices that may be used in a clinician’s office. A camera allows doctors to view patients and vice versa. There is a viewing screen, and multiple screens may be provided for viewing patients, diagnostic results, and other medical information.
A microphone enables doctors and patients to converse.
Coding and decoding capabilities are part of the system’s heart. This compresses the outgoing audio and video data and decompresses the receiving data. It also encrypts data.
There are also sophisticated cameras and diagnostic scopes that can be used.
A medical professional may examine the patient without being present. Dermatologists may view skins using webcams. An ENT doctor examines the ear using an Otoscope. A stethoscope can hear heart and lung sounds. For Diabetic Retinopathy screenings, non-mydriatic cameras may capture retinal pictures.
Keep in mind, however, that the most common uses of telehealth are routine consultations between physicians and patients using common laptop computers, smartphones, and tablets.
Expertise in Telemedicine
Telemedicine may be used in any field. It is essentially a virtual hospital.
- Teleradiology – receiving a patient’s health consultation by securely transmitting x-rays and data to another radiologist.
- Teleophthalmology – examines and treats patients’ eyes remotely.
- Teledermatology. Remote diagnosis of rashes or skin disorders. TeleMedicine resolves 80% of rashes patients in dermatology.
Conclusion
Telemedicine has the potential to provide better, more affordable, and more convenient treatment. It also allows health care professionals to contact patients who would otherwise be unable to receive treatment, engage them in their care, and improve their health.
Call 4 Health is a compassionate telemedicine call center dedicated to the improvement of effective healthcare through the use of everyday technology. Call us today at 855-244-3258 to learn how we can help.