When COVID hit the United States, many businesses and medical offices were ill-prepared to deal with the impact. Companies rushed to get employees ready to work from home, and medical offices had to drastically change how they provided care to patients. Many hospitals canceled elective surgeries to preserve ICU space for COVID patients, and unfortunately, many patients decided not to come into medical offices due to worry over COVID.
Telehealth
One of the ways that medical offices dealt with these issues was by offering telehealth services. Telehealth services are made possible via video conferencing and can help doctors provide care to vulnerable populations and patients who live in rural areas. Additional benefits of telehealth include:
- Patient Engagement. The patients who live too far away to quickly visit a doctor’s office benefit greatly from telehealth services. They can easily schedule a virtual appointment, and the doctor can offer treatment and recommendations.
- Increase Access to Specialists. If patients need to see a specialist but live too far away or their condition prevents them from traveling, they can still schedule virtual visits to receive the critical care they need.
- Triage Patients. Telehealth can be beneficial even if the patient is in the same facility as the doctor. With video technology advancements, 360-degree cameras can be installed into a room, and the patient can meet with the doctor via video. This ability can be exceedingly beneficial if the patient has a highly communicative disease like COVID. The doctor can quickly meet with the patient rather than visiting the room in person.
- Reduces Patient Cost. Healthcare is expensive, even with health insurance. These costs can be the reason some patients don’t see a doctor. Telehealth appointments are generally less costly for patients since they don’t need to drive anywhere, and if they have children, they don’t need to find babysitting. Providing access to these patients is critical.
At ITC, we understand how critical it is to provide quality healthcare to all patients. We recently helped a hospital set up a 360-degree camera to help with patient triage and deliver care more efficiently. Offering telehealth services will help your medical office provide care to more patients and do so more efficiently. Contact us today to learn more about our video conferencing solutions and how they will help your medical practice.
