Needless to say, all of us will be forced to adapt to a new way of life in 2020. In the predicament of last year, Covid-19 has led people’s lives, and healthcare providers are among the people making the most significant changes. Perhaps the biggest adaptation in the healthcare sector is the sudden transition to telemedicine. As the intensive care unit (ICU) approaches its maximum capacity and the world as we know it has closed, patients and healthcare providers need to rely on virtual visits to continue healthcare maintenance.
Although virtual provider services are nothing new, the impact of Covid-19 has promoted the development of telemedicine. Virtual healthcare before Covid-19 was a luxury, while virtual healthcare within Covid-19 is gradually becoming a necessity, and as with any new practice, so is the learning curve. Let’s take a look at the top ten lessons learned from using telemedicine technology in 2020:
• Usability: One of the biggest advantages of telemedicine is its coverage. Through this direct-to-consumer care model, patients anywhere can get care through electronic devices, whether they are in the city center or rural areas. Looking to the future, healthcare providers need to find ways to reach low-income families, elderly patients, or others who may not have the resources to own electronic devices.
•Electronic health records: Not only can patients and providers have face-to-face access through electronic screens, but patients can also directly access their electronic health records. What was once archived to doctors is now only accessible through the user-friendly patient portal. Facts have proved that this method of using EHR can make patients more involved in their treatment plan. When they see the diagnosis, test results, and treatment right in front of their eyes, they are more likely to stick to their health care plan.
• Competition: High demand brings high supply, as is the case with telemedicine. As virtual healthcare visits become more and more popular in a socially distant world, more and more telemedicine companies are emerging, and patients have multiple choices. Storing patient information and handling insurance across multiple platforms can become complicated.
• Equipment: The equipment chosen by the provider and patient is extremely important. The picture and audio quality on the phone, tablet or computer must be clear and clear. First, the doctor needs to be able to see clear images to make a correct diagnosis. Second, the patient needs to be able to understand the doctor’s feedback and treatment plan after the examination. When you are about to solve health problems, there is nothing worse than blurry images and blurry sounds.
• Safety: Only because the examination is performed outside the doctor’s office, it must remain in compliance with HIPAA requirements. The telemedicine platform should be secure to prevent any hackers from grasping patient information and to ensure that only personal conversations are maintained between patients and their providers.
• Safety: Why are you only six feet apart when you can completely separate? Telemedicine visits keep sick people away from healthy people. It is no longer necessary to soak other bacteria in the waiting room for more than 20 minutes. Perhaps the most obvious lesson from the transition to telemedicine is that this is an effective way to stop the spread of Covid-19 and other diseases.
• Urgent care: Telemedicine can never replace the need for urgent care. No matter how virtualized the world is, on-site emergency services are always needed. It is important to educate patients when they should seek emergency care, and not rely on fast FaceTime visits.
• Burnout: Burnout is real-not only for the provider, but also for the patient. Between all on-demand virtual visits, conference calls and Zoom meetings, we all feel electronic fatigue and are eager for some face-to-face interactions. It’s important to take a break from time to time and rest in the fresh air to get you a good night’s sleep.
• Simplicity: Telemedicine technology is a simple and clear way. Having a wide range of technical experience levels, it is very important to make everyone a user-friendly telemedicine platform.
• Progress: With the introduction of vaccines and Covid-19 is expected to eventually exit the market, telemedicine will be nowhere to be found. In fact, it will become more prominent and become the way of the future. Therefore, it is very important for providers and developers to continuously improve the telemedicine platform. This means identifying weaknesses in the current telemedicine system and creating effective and valuable solutions.
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CEO of PatientClick, Inc., a healthcare IT and technology company based in San Diego, California. Read Ashish Mehta’s full administrative staff profile here.
CEO of PatientClick, Inc., a healthcare IT and technology company based in San Diego, California. Read Ashish Mehta’s full administrative staff profile here.
Post time: Mar-17-2021