5 Ways Telemedicine Is Changing Healthcare for Good

Originally developed to treat patients in remote locations, telemedicine is growing exponentially as it provides more efficient medical care. How much is this field of healthcare growing? According to the American Medical Association, over 71% of U.S. physicians use telehealth at least once a week.

With more than half of consumers open to virtual healthcare visits, there are many advantages of telemedicine. Here are five of the most significant reasons why telemedicine and print and document solutions for healthcare organizations are the future of healthcare.

1. Convenience for Patients

A visit to the doctor often means taking at least half a day off work and pulling children out of school. However, visiting a website and communicating with a physician through video offers an enormous increase in convenience. This is a core way telemedicine works: patients schedule a virtual doctor visit, join via a secure link, and interact with a clinician in real time. Telemedicine services use encrypted video platforms so the session feels like a standard appointment but happens online. In simple terms, this is how telemedicine works for most routine concerns.

Telemedicine obviously reduces travel time to and wait time in the doctor’s office. This convenience could also allow more people to keep up regular doctor appointments. Everything from virtual visits with general physicians to consultations with specialists stationed around the globe can be conveniently provided for patients. When comparing telehealth vs telemedicine, note that telehealth is the broader umbrella for digital health activities, while telemedicine refers specifically to clinical care delivered remotely; both improve convenience but telemedicine focuses on diagnosis and treatment. Telehealth vs telemedicine also matters for insurance coverage and workflows, but in both cases secure platforms protect patient privacy through encryption and access controls.

2. Less Exposure to Contagious Patients

Sitting in a crowded doctor’s office puts patients at a higher risk of contracting a variety of illnesses. According to Health IT Outcomes, telemedicine can help contain epidemics such as influenza by treating patients through virtual visits. Both patients and healthcare providers benefit. In step-by-step virtual doctor visits, patients typically: (1) request an appointment through a portal, (2) complete intake forms and consent, (3) test audio/video, (4) connect with the clinician for evaluation and treatment, and (5) receive e-prescriptions and follow-up instructions. These telemedicine services limit exposure while preserving continuity of care and clearly show how telemedicine works from scheduling to follow-up.

Reducing the spread of contagious illnesses has the opportunity of substantial economic impact on a community during an outbreak. Forms of telemedicine prove especially attractive to schools and businesses. Virtual medicine could allow an employee to visit a doctor while still sick at home. This keeps the employee out of a waiting room and public, further spreading an illness to others. Remote patient monitoring can complement these virtual visits by tracking vitals from home and alerting teams to changes without in-person contact, showing how telemedicine works beyond video alone and how telemedicine services extend care between appointments.

3. Improved Medical Efficiency

Telemedicine facilitates collaboration among medical providers, which ultimately increases efficiency. The American Hospital Association states that as this new system of healthcare evolves, telehealth will improve healthcare’s overall efficiency as an industry. Key technologies used in telemedicine include secure HD video platforms, patient portals, electronic health records, e-prescribing, connected medical devices, and remote patient monitoring tools that transmit data like blood pressure and glucose readings. These are the core technologies used in telemedicine to support assessment, decision-making, and follow-up.

If a patient has been advised by his or her primary doctor to see a specialist regarding a particular health issue, the visit to the specialist can be conducted via telemedicine. After viewing the patient’s medical records and discussing the issue online, the specialist may decide that further care is unnecessary, thus saving an incredible amount of time and money that would have been involved in an actual office visit. On the other hand, the specialist may immediately admit the patient into the hospital, preventing the patient from worsening in the time it would have taken to schedule an actual visit. Telemedicine services streamline referrals, documentation, and e-prescriptions so the next steps happen quickly, highlighting how telemedicine works within existing clinical workflows.

As telemedicine workflows evolve, keeping printed clinical protocols, staff training materials, and compliance documents current becomes equally important. On-demand print solutions let healthcare organizations update and distribute accurate materials as quickly as care models change.

4. Better Patient Care

Being able to examine and communicate with patients online enables medical providers to work together, providing higher levels of patient care. Hospitals & Health Networks points out that handoffs during transitional care can run much more smoothly with the use of virtual medicine. Patient privacy is protected during telemedicine sessions through end-to-end encryption, unique meeting links, authenticated logins, HIPAA-compliant platforms, consent processes, and private settings on both sides of the call. These measures apply across telemedicine services and help answer how patient privacy is protected during telemedicine sessions.

For example, video conferencing between a patient, the general practitioner and a specialist can take place with all three individuals communicating at once. This smooth transition of continuous care makes it more likely that the patient will follow through and see the specialist, and ultimately provides higher quality patient care. Research also shows that patients are more relaxed, open, and honest when teleconsulting from home. In the familiar surroundings of their own home, one patient noted feeling “protected by the veil of technology,” which can enhance outcomes.

To participate, patients typically need a smartphone, tablet, or computer with a camera and microphone, a stable internet connection, and a quiet, well-lit space. Optional equipment may include connected devices for remote patient monitoring, such as a blood pressure cuff, glucometer, pulse oximeter, digital scale, or thermometer, further clarifying telehealth vs telemedicine where the clinical data flow supports diagnosis and treatment and showing what equipment patients need for telemedicine appointments.

5. Increased Revenue

The cost-effectiveness of being able to see and communicate with patients digitally is substantial. The University of Arizona reports that hospital readmissions and unnecessary emergency room visits are two of the primary reasons health care costs are so high. Telemedicine can reduce ER trips and readmissions by making healthcare more accessible. When telemedicine services integrate remote patient monitoring alerts and automated follow-ups, clinicians can intervene earlier and reduce complications, demonstrating how telemedicine works to improve outcomes and efficiency.

Virtual appointments can also reduce the number of cancellations and no-shows at the office, which cost practices a significant amount of money each year. It can also attract new patients while increasing the ease of patient flow throughout the day, both of which will increase revenue. Plus, with relatively low upfront and overhead costs healthcare organizations quickly see a return on their telemedicine investment. Understanding telehealth vs telemedicine helps organizations choose the right mix of solutions, from video visits to remote patient monitoring, to deliver safe, private, and efficient care using modern technologies used in telemedicine.

Explore on-demand print solutions for healthcare teams.

Learn How Kindred Delivers Only Up To Date Healthcare Materials

Kindred Healthcare uses Mimeo to train and support more than half of their 75,000 employees. Find out how they keep their employees happy with relevant and helpful training content.