Did you know that up to 6 in 10 people are open to digital medical services? That’s right. The majority of your patients would have a go at telehealth if they had the opportunity. Digital health solutions have been a game changer in the past few years, especially in the post-COVID era which has necessitated a different approach to care as we know it. So what do telehealth services bring to the table as far as hospitals and clinics are concerned? Why the growing demand for virtual care? Well, wonder no more:
1. Safer treatment is possible without exposure to new infections
COVID-19 was a huge revelation in terms of how we go about treatment. It made us rethink physical examinations and in-person patient monitoring. Thanks to the advances of telemedicine and telehealth services, now hospitals and clinics can give patients the care they need without having to put their patients’ lives or themselves at risk.
Patient vitals can be monitored remotely using digital health technology, while virtual visits mean patients spend less time in waiting rooms, thus decreasing the risk of exposure to new infections.
2. Facilities stand to make more money with telehealth services
Care facilities took a huge hit with the pandemic rolling in. While before that, 45% of US hospitals were struggling in the red, matters only went from bad to worse with COVID-19 taking its toll on workflows and revenue.
But yet, there’s a way for hospitals to become more profitable once more, and the answer may lie in telehealth as it opens the door for RPM reimbursements. Overall, hospitals and clinics stand to gain $207 per patient per month for:
- Patient enrollment
- Educating patients on how to use the technology
- Management of telehealth devices
- Care management spanning at least 1 hour per month
3. Fewer in-person visits to the doctor’s office
With the power of telehealth by your side, in-person visits between physician and patient also decline. Doctors can monitor important data remotely, while it’s possible to check in and communicate with patients remotely.
This reduces the frequency of trips by the doctor to the patient’s residence or by the patient to the doctor’s office. Overall, this means clogged clinical workflows can breathe easier as more time is freed up from certain iterative tasks. As a result, more time can be channeled into care process improvement.
4. Reduced cases of missed appointments
Patient no-shows are a grim reality that facilities often have to contend with. Sometimes a forgetful mind is often to blame if a report in the JRSM is anything to go by. It finds that 8 in 10 patients forget what their physicians tell them after they walk out of the facility.
Other times, missed appointments can be due to:
- Busy schedules
- Scheduling conflicts
- Transport barriers
However, telehealth solutions can set reminders to ensure forgetfulness isn’t the reason an appointment is missed. Moreover, a virtual visit can be a compromise in case transportation or a constricted schedule becomes an issue.
5. Barriers to health care are shattered
The situation is dire around the world. WHO estimates that lack of access to basic health services is a reality for over 400 million people around the planet. Either facilities are too far away or extreme poverty is getting in the way.
Telehealth can help turn this situation around. For one, it can tear down geographical barriers and enable the penetration of quality medical care even in rural areas farfetched from these services.
6. Freed up resources for acute cases
Small facilities, in particular, can benefit greatly from virtual care solutions. This has the potential to reduce the length of stay at a hospital or clinical because of:
- Round-the-clock monitoring
- Ready access to personalized patient data
- The expedition of clinical care decisions
Ultimately, this can free up occupancy and resources which can be directed to more acute cases.
7. Telehealth delivers cost-saving benefits
Telehealth doesn’t just have the ability to increase or expand revenue streams for a facility through Medicare reimbursements. It also has the potential to save big bucks for patients as well as hospitals and clinics.
Research by Duke University School has substantiated the cost-effective benefits of telehealth. Their report finds that, when it comes to knee replacement surgery, for example, facilities can save up to $2,750 per patient in physical therapy.
8. Personalized care becomes possible
With telehealth and remote patient monitoring solutions, facilities can personalize the care experience like never before. Additionally, patients are able to be more involved in their own care process. They gain access to their own data and physicians can better help them make sense of it.
As patient involvement and personalization bolster, so too does patient satisfaction rates. In the long run, this bodes well for patient retention, clinical outcomes, and avoiding legal trouble as well.
9. Telehealth improves treatment adherence
What causes poor medication adherence? Well, a lot of things can get in the way. But some of those obstacles that telehealth can help counter include:
- Disconnection with the care facility
- Patients not feeling the need to keep up with medication when they feel “fine”
- Misunderstanding medication needs
Telehealth ensures physicians and patients can keep in touch better and with greater regularity, addressing any such concerns and therefore improving treatment compliance.
10. Reduced patient readmission
Readmissions paint hospitals and clinics in a bad light. They may portray the levels of a facility’s quality as poor and the brand unreliable, more so if they occur quite often.
However, telehealth can help reduce rehospitalization by improving following to ensure regiment adherence. Moreover, it becomes faster to identify the need for supplementary appointments that could negate a subsequent hospitalization.
Aura Health offers telehealth services for facilities of every size
Telehealth is making a huge difference as you’ve seen. Not only is it helping to save lives and increase a care facility’s profitability but it’s improving health outcomes and taking medicine to new realms that until now we didn’t think possible. If you’d like to implement telehealth for your facility but lack the expertise and technology, Aura Health is here to transform your workflow with ready-to-go virtual care support. Let’s drive value for your organization, improve satisfaction and put your facility on the map. Contact us now to learn more.
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