Telehealth enables video or phone appointments between patients and their healthcare practitioners. Telehealth has been around for several decades, but the adoption of this revolutionary aspect of healthcare properly increased during the pandemic. The global health crisis caused by the unusually contagious and fatal COVID-19 virus changed everything about daily life, including how we see our doctors.
At-risk patients and doctors alike became increasingly eager to adopt telehealth, which enables virtual consultations between patients and their healthcare providers. Improvements in technology in recent years have made telehealth easier, even for those who do not consider themselves tech-savvy.
Fueled by digital technologies, telehealth has reimagined the physician visit as a house call without the need to travel. Telehealth is becoming increasingly relevant for both primary care and specialist appointments, allowing medical practitioners to expand their reach and treat patients wherever there is an internet connection available.
Telehealth platforms have evolved from expensive kiosks and sophisticated digital technology to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions available on laptops and smartphones. They no longer require massive upfront costs previously associated with telehealth services.
We will discuss the top ten benefits of telehealth applications for patients and doctors in this post to help you understand how it has become a game-changer for the healthcare industry.
Table of Contents
Top 8 Benefits of Telehealth for Patients and Doctors
1. Improves patient engagement with care providers
Treating patients proactively requires healthcare providers to teach their patients how to care for themselves between clinical visits. Telehealth is enabling remote monitoring, making it one of many ways in which medical providers can improve patient treatment outcomes while cutting costs. Telehealth is allowing doctors to understand patient metrics without the need for their patients to leave the comfort of their homes.
2. It is creating a new business model
Telehealth is leading to a significant shift in the business models for healthcare providers by advancing consumer-based care. Specialists across various disciplines now have the ability to launch their own telehealth platforms to patients, offering their services online like several other types of businesses. Clinical healthcare providers can use this new business model to expand their patient base beyond their physical clinic locations.
3. An increasing number of patients have access to care
Telehealth expands a healthcare provider’s reach to wherever patients have access to an internet connection and a device that can enable virtual consultations. It means that an increasing number of people have access to good healthcare services, who are usually outside the normal care delivery systems.
4. It improves clinical workflows and practice efficiency
Telehealth is improving the workflow and practice efficiency for clinical practices. By serving as a conduit for more rapid care delivery prioritization and improving communications, it is leading to more timely medical decision-making. It is effectively speeding up the entire clinical process by eliminating several aspects of traditional practices.
5. It adds another revenue stream
Telehealth is reducing overhead costs for each visit by making them less time-consuming. By cutting down no-show patients, improving the practice and workflow efficiency, and expanding the patient base, telehealth effectively adds another revenue stream for medical practices.
6. Telehealth cuts down patient costs
Patients have to spend a lot of time and money when they seek healthcare services. The adoption of telehealth is eliminating several costs associated with visiting their doctors. Using telehealth means that patients do not have to pay for traveling to the clinic, parking, childcare, or take any time off work.
7. It improves the quality of healthcare services
Telehealth is improving healthcare quality, particularly in areas that have limited access to healthcare providers. Advances in technology have improved healthcare delivery and treatment of acute conditions. Telehealth is also allowing healthcare providers to divert unnecessary visits to Emergency Rooms for greater efficiency and better patient treatment outcomes.
8. It reduces chances of patients not showing up for follow-up appointments
Many patients fail to show up to hospitals for follow-up appointments, particularly those patients who have to travel long distances or face other inconveniences when having to go to the doctor. An alarming number of patients typically prefer to skip appointments, deteriorating the overall quality of patient care outcomes.
Telehealth services significantly reduce the chances of no-shows, particularly on follow-up visits. These services allow patients to get more convenient access to their healthcare providers and allows care providers to offer better treat their patients and help them with a full recovery.
Final Thoughts
The advantages of telehealth clearly highlight why technology-based innovations are completely revolutionizing the healthcare industry. An increasing number of medical practices continue to adopt telehealth services as part of their practice.
Telemedicine used to be quite expensive and inaccessible for most healthcare providers in the past. The advent of innovation in technology and the rise of firms providing HIPAA-compliant telemedicine platforms are changing the landscape. An increasing number of healthcare providers can now offer their expert services to patients through telemedicine in a safer and more cost-effective manner.
In-person encounters between healthcare providers and patients will always be crucial for many patients. However, introducing telemedicine can significantly reduce the number of patients that doctors have to see on-site.
Integrating telehealth services will help make it easier for patients to consult with their care providers for their medical conditions, drastically reduce clinical overhead costs by saving money, and becoming an additional income stream for medical practices. It might be ideal for healthcare providers to consider adopting telehealth services as a part of their practice and take advantage of the changing industry.
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