Digitalization of Healthcare Industry: The Power of Telehealth
BY SECOND CONSULT Published on September 10, 2020
The healthcare and pharmaceutical industries have been lagging behind in adopting digital strategies, but now they are stepping into the world of digitization. The Digitalization of healthcare industry can be overwhelming for the businesses, and making decisions on what emerging technologies are worth investing in can be challenging. However, the positive impact of technology in healthcare cannot be ignored. Telemedicine, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled medical devices, and blockchain electronic health records are just a few examples of digital transformation in healthcare.
Telehealth, which is a part of digitalization in healthcare, has the potential to improve the quality of medical care while reducing costs. Today, telehealth applications are software-as-a-service (SaaS) and as close as the smartphone a doctor – and their patient – keep in their pocket or purse. Telehealth as a business model is shifting the paradigm by advancing consumer-based care. It allows clinicians to extend their patient base beyond brick-and-mortar facilities, extending hours, and creating new and more convenient models for their patients.
Using telehealth for remote monitoring is just one way that medical providers can improve outcomes while still cutting costs. Telehealth is being used to report patient metrics from the comfort of the patient’s own home, while remote teams act as coach and counselor as they engage patients in their own journey toward health.
Telehealth can increase clinical workflow efficiency. It can serve as the conduit for quicker prioritization of care delivery, triaging each case and improving communication by capturing, storing, and using patient data for better medical decision-making.
Telehealth is less time-consuming, both for the patient and provider. It can allow physicians to bill for uncompensated phone calls while also extending hours to capture more billable time. It cuts down on no-shows can improve the efficiency of a practice and can also provide a competitive advantage, attracting and retaining more patients with new models of care.
Telehealth has certainly proved to be a boon to patients hailing from remote or rural locations improving 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.
Telehealth visits save patients money and time seeking healthcare. With a telehealth visit, the doctor comes to the patient on their phone, laptop, or another digital device. Patients no longer need to travel, park, find childcare, or take time off work. In some rural regions, patients must travel overnight to reach specialists in more urban regions. Adding on to this, an increasing number of patients these days are demanding healthcare at their convenience to tackle their busy schedules.
Telehealth is here to stay and is likely to play an increasing role in future healthcare. The digitalization of healthcare industry is bringing about a significant change in healthcare. The pressure from patients and an increasingly litigious environment make it important that in cases of doubt, an appropriate professional opinion is sought. Telemedicine offers a method of seeking that opinion quickly and cheaply, thus providing a solution to an increasing problem in the delivery of healthcare.
Second Consult is elated to be a part of this revolution.
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