The Benefits of Telehealth

Telehealth can have many benefits. A virtual telehealth visit can often be cheaper, more convenient, and more accessible than seeing a doctor in person. With telehealth, you can meet with a live local doctor from the comfort of your own home — and still get great medical care.

What is Telehealth?

Telehealth is the use of digital information and communication technologies, such as computers and mobile devices, to access health care services remotely and manage your health care. These may be technologies you use from home or that your doctor uses to improve or support health care services.

Although the terms telemedicine and telehealth are often used interchangeably, technically telemedicine is a subset of telehealth. Telemedicine is not a separate medical specialty. It is simply another method of providing clinical care. Telemedicine are patient consultations conducted through video and audio calls, nurse advice lines, transmission of images, and test results for example. There are a few factors that has created the widespread adoption of telemedicine not only possible, but necessary! These include the Covid crisis, aging population, Affordable Care Act, evolving laws and policies, as well as the technological advancements of the 21st Century!

The goals of telehealth include the following:

• Provide support for self-management of health care.

• Make health care accessible to people who live in rural areas.

• Provide access to medical specialists and doctors

• Make services more readily available for people with limited time or mobility.

• Improve communication and coordination of care among members of a health care team and a patient.

Healthcare Services Provided via Telemedicine

• Primary and Follow Up Care

• Urgent Care

• Remote Patient Monitoring

• Online Only Medical Services

• Assisted Living Support:

• Psychiatric Services and Counseling

• School Based Healthcare:

• Specialist Consultations

Let’s look at our top benefits of telehealth for patients and doctors

If you like the idea of seeing your doctor over a video conference on your laptop or smartphone, you are not alone. According to research by Software Advice, 75% of survey respondents are interested in trying telemedicine. Telemedicine has been used in a limited way for decades, but it is only now becoming more mainstream. This is because so many people have access to high-speed internet connections and the devices necessary to perform a video visit. The approach is popular with patients due to its many advantages. Here are a few:

1. On Demand Options: There are a number of online-only, on-demand options on the market today. They can’t treat every condition, but can tackle a wide variety of problems. Some insurance companies pay for this type of care. There is a good chance your doctor can see you via video.

2. No Transportation Time Wasted or Costs: When you see your doctor on your mobile device or computer, you can save money on gas, parking, and public transportation. Even better, you don’t waste time traveling or risk running into a traffic jam that makes you late for your appointment, or worse, late getting back to work.

3. Advances new business models: Telehealth as a business model is advancing consumer-based care! An article in mHealthIntelligence says, “Specialists are now finding that they can launch their own telehealth platform to consumers, offering their services online much like a banker, real estate agent or other business person.” With telehealth, clinicians can extend their patient base beyond brick-and-mortar facilities, extending hours, and creating new and more convenient models for their patients.

4. Improves healthcare quality and access to Specialists: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) says that telehealth improves healthcare quality, particularly in rural settings. That’s because the technology can improve service delivery and treatment of acute conditions. Telehealth is also being used to divert unnecessary ER visits. It also improves the convenience of receiving treatment by allowing patients to receive care without traveling long distances.

5. Less Time in the Waiting Room and Less Chance of Catching a New Illness -

6. Increases practice revenue and reduces overhead - In addition to reducing overhead costs per visit, telehealth is less time-consuming, both for the patient and provider. Telehealth can allow physicians to bill for uncompensated phone calls while also extending hours to capture more billable time. Telehealth cuts down on no-shows and can improve the efficiency of a practice.

7. Cuts patient costs - It’s not secret that healthcare can be pricey! Telehealth saves patients time and money because they can simply join from a smart device and not worry about missing work or hiring a sitter for the kids. Oregon Health and Science University saved their patients $6.4 million annually in travel costs by implementing a telemedicine program. One UPMC patient survey showed that 40% of their patients said if they did not have access to a virtual visit, they would skip treatment because of the burden of excessive travel to their facilities.

   Now that you can visualize the use of telemedicine in your life, isn’t it time to get a PPO health insurance plan that covers you fully? Book a free consultation with licensed Health Insurance Advisor Emmanuel Lopez today to go through all of your options and find a plan that best fits your lifestyle, needs, and budget! You can also call 757-281-8178 to talk to him directly.