Contacting your primary care physician over the phone and receiving a diagnosis used to be a sign of wealth, privilege, and a deep, personal relationship with your doctor. Now, with the Delta variant of COVID-19 causing a massive spike in cases, it’s more crucial than ever for your office to have the capability for telemedicine.
Has making that transition proven a hard sell for your team? If so, here are five telemedicine benefits that will help you convince them to make the switch.
Benefit One: Extends Available Office Hours
Let’s face it: Illness and injury don’t always happen during normal hours. Worse, they may still require medical attention. However, they may not be severe or urgent enough to justify a visit to the ER or an Urgent Care Center. Especially in the middle of a pandemic.
One of the greatest telemedicine benefits is the ability to extend your office hours through your telehealth service. This allows patients to get the care they need when they need it.
Benefit Two: Cuts Costs for Doctor and Patient Both
Another benefit to telehealth systems is that they cut overhead costs for your practice and commuting costs for your patient. This alone is more likely to make them show up for their appointments, or book virtual doctor visits when they’re needed.
Benefit Three: Increased Patient Engagement and Healthcare Quality
The healthcare system has a massive issue of gaps in knowledge between the doctor and patient. Many patients feel too intimidated to ask questions in the office. Or, they may not realize they don’t understand how to take the medicine until they arrive home. So, through the use of telehealth applications, the doctor and patient can communicate on a more regular basis and clear up any misunderstandings.
Benefit Four: Easier Access to Patient Data
Many tele hospitalist services offer some form of instant data collection that can get sent to your practice. This can allow you to manage your patients in real-time and have access to all of their relevant data while you’re on the line with them without looking disengaged with their history. Trust us, nothing makes a patient disengage from the care you’re trying to give them faster than feeling like you’re not listening.
Benefit Five: Modernizes Your Practice
Patients are less likely to trust a practice that relies on decades-old methods of tracking data and contacting customers. And doctors that stubbornly cling to in-person traditions may struggle to get enough patients in the office to keep themselves afloat. Another benefit of telehealth systems is that they show you’re a modern medical practitioner.
Want to Know More About How Telemedicine Benefits You?
From increased healthcare quality to reduced costs, there are many telemedicine benefits that you may not have known about. Are you still on the fence about making the switch to virtual doctor visits? Do you want more information about the telehealth systems available on the market?
If so, why not check out our blog? We update each day with more helpful and informative articles like this one!