We recently published a blog post discussing telemedicine solutions during emergencies. We talked about how remote solutions make it easier to provide emergency medical care in the aftermath of a significant event, like a tornado for example. There is an additional component we failed to mention in that post: convenience.
When you get right down to it, remote telemedicine solutions are all about convenience. They are about offering healthcare delivery in a way that is more convenient for patient and provider alike. And when delivery is convenient, more patients and providers participate.
In this post, we want to look at:
- convenience for the patient
- convenience for the provider
- convenience for the institution.
If you are involved in healthcare in any capacity directly related to delivery, keep an ear to the ground over the coming months and years. Telemedicine is already miles ahead of where it was just two years ago. It only stands to go further as time goes on.
Convenience For the Patient
It goes without saying that telemedicine is most convenient to patients. If a patient must choose between spending an hour in the doctor’s waiting room and having instant access through a remote clinic, which choice do you think is more attractive? Likewise, do you think a patient would rather see their physician at home or get in the car and drive ten miles?
We offer a portable telehealth solution that allows nursing staff to visit patients in their homes, fully equipped with all the most common diagnostic tools. This particular solution facilitates in-home visits utilizing video chat and real-time diagnostics.
A patient not comfortable with home visits can still enjoy telemedicine convenience by visiting a dedicated telehealth clinic equipped with numerous kiosks. Visiting with the doctor is as simple as sitting down at a kiosk and logging in.
Convenience For the Provider
Moving on to healthcare providers, telemedicine solutions make delivery more convenient. Imagine a family practice working out a deal with a local pharmacy or health clinic to operate health screening kiosks on their premises. The practice’s physicians could see more patients in a given day without increasing office traffic. They can even reach patients who would otherwise be unable to come into the office.
Telemedicine is more convenient to providers inasmuch as it is more efficient, less labor intensive, and more accommodating to daily scheduling. At the same time, it need not eliminate the ability to see patients face-to-face when warranted.
Convenience For the Institution
If we learned one thing during the COVID pandemic, it is that healthcare institutions still need to be able to provide medical care when patients cannot participate in face-to-face appointments. Hospitals and primary care offices around the country were forced to embrace telehealth out of necessity. But one of the benefits of doing so was the realization that telehealth is quite convenient.
Hospitals are discovering that they can serve more patients by setting up remote telemedicine clinics. They are coming to realize that they can address the doctor and nurse shortage, at least to some degree, by offering patients a telemedicine choice. It is more convenient for them to offer telehealth options than it is to build more buildings and hire more staff.
Telemedicine solutions are certainly more convenient during emergency situations. But they are equally convenient under normal circumstances as well. Telemedicine is convenient for patients, providers, and institutions alike. If you are not yet on board with the telemedicine concept, you need to consider changing things up. Otherwise, expect to be left behind by a healthcare industry committed to moving forward.
