Telemedicine explained
Telemedicine or telehealth visits are a thing for years, with some practices embracing them and others slow to adopt. In the past few months, Covid-19 put telemedicine into the spotlight and now virtual care is here to stay. More and more practices are implementing it every day and it’s because this type of healthcare can speed up medical attention while keeping the patients and the doctors safe.
Why telemedicine?
A normal process of consulting a doctor would normally take at least an hour. People don’t need to drive to the clinic, sit in a waiting room full of germs just to consult the doctor for 10min. Especially, when people already know what’s going on and just want reassurance is it a normal cold or infection, then telemedicine comes in handy.
Before the coronavirus hit, remote healthcare worked in a way that a patient calls a doctor and all the consultation happens on the phone and there is a lot of possibilities for miscommunication and wrong diagnosis. Telemedicine is the same, but better because the doctor can actually see the patient. We can surely say that virtual appointments are pretty equal to in-person healthcare. You can do anything except emergencies, like a broken bone, or when some testing needs to be done in person. However, telemedicine is the best solution when it comes to routine visits and non-urgent symptoms.
Just to be noted, telemedicine is not here to replace physical visits, it’s more like an extension to improve healthcare and make it more efficient, achievable, and delivered constantly.
Benefits of transitioning your practice to telemedicine?
As people are learning about telemedicine and are starting to be aware of its advantages, they prefer practices that offer that service. A recent study showed that 80% of patients choose their practice because it offers telemedicine service.
Who is transitioning to telemedicine?
Telemedicine is not only for family practice but for all types of practitioners. A new study has found that radiologists were the most likely, as they reported using telemedicine to store and forward data about the diagnosis (39.5%). That was followed by psychiatrists (27.8%) and cardiologists (24.1%). Allergists and immunologists (6.1%) and gastroenterologists (7.9%) were least likely to use it. We would suggest that in the practices of dermatologists, OB/GYNs, or pediatricians, telemedicine can make a big impact as well.
Tips on transitioning to telemedicine
First, you need to prepare your practice for the transition. Make sure your staff is ready for this change and don’t forget to inform your patients.
After making sure everything and everyone is ready for it, comes the most important step - choose the right platform. Choosing the right telemedicine provider can help you save time, energy, and future headache.
That’s why we created Kailo. One of the main features that Kailo offers is real-time video visits, seamlessly integrated with the whole patient management system, in order to automate the communication across the entire care journey. With state-of-the-art security and encryption protocols to assure that data integrity and privacy is maintained, Kailo complies with HIE regulations.
Combined with other important features such as automated notifications, booking system, calendar, patient medical record, etc. Kailo is an all-around medical platform that streamlines the work of physicians and medical staff while improving the patient experience.
Let us show you how you can grow your practice by providing patients convenient access to your healthcare services - request a demo and see Kailo in action!
