The Current State of Telehealth
Telehealth is bridging the gap between physicians, patients, and medical systems. Telehealth allows nearly everyone to stay in touch with doctors via virtual connections, allowing patients to self-refer and ask questions, all from a phone, tablet, or PC. The field of telehealth has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, giving rise to a plethora of medical specialty practices such as medical transcription and telemedicine, safe interactions for the doctor and patient, and telehealth management. Now, to keep up with the times, telemedicine is beginning to impact on all other areas of medicine as well. As a result, the role it plays today is only beginning to scratch the surface of what this specialized technology can do for the greater good.
Telemedicine provides primary care physicians with an extra interface to their patients that eliminates the need for an in-person visit to a brick-and-mortar doctor’s office. This can allow doctors to expand their scope of practice and offer more personalized care to every patient. Telemedicine does much more than allow patients to see their doctors when they need care. It also offers primary care physicians
access to information about their patients, allowing them to create treatment plans and even conduct necessary tests virtually or before the patient is seen in person.
Telemedicine allows patients to connect to healthcare professionals virtually, these consults can explore anything from their flu symptoms to which genetic test is right for them. With the introduction of video conferencing, patients can share their symptoms and medical concerns with their physicians in the comfort of their own home. Telemedicine is also allowing doctors-offices and hospitals to expand their
services to include more procedures and tests that were previously only accessible by making trips to a lab or office. For example, doctors’ offices can now perform heart scans, genetic testing options, and even provide electrocardiograms with the use of a video-conferencing program. This enables health professionals to evaluate and treat any patient more efficiently, which saves time and expense as well as resources such as labor and transportation.
Because telemedicine can connect hospitals to individuals, patients can now use the Internet and computer networks to research different healthcare providers. Through this method, they can compare notes and see exactly what each hospital can offer. Many doctors-offices and other health care centers are also finding ways to work with their patients online. They can create patient profiles and post their contact information through tailored systems, such as VOLA, so that patients can send them messages and view the latest status of their case.
In recent years, more medical professionals have begun to embrace telemedicine practices, and patients are reaping the benefits of improved healthcare with less hassle and anxiety. Telemedicine is rapidly becoming one of the most popular ways to stay in touch with healthcare professionals and doctors. Even patients with chronic diseases and those who are otherwise inconvenient to receive medical care
can benefit from telemedicine. Telemedicine has created a level playing field in the healthcare industry and made it possible for patients who might have otherwise had difficulty gaining access to healthcare professionals to get the care they need. With telemedicine, patients have better access to top-notch healthcare professionals at any time of day or night, ensuring that they receive the best possible diagnoses, prognoses, and treatments.
