4 Critical Roles of Telemedicine In Modern Healthcare
Since its rising popularity in the 1980s, telehealth has come a long way, undergoing significant improvements brought by advancements in information technology. Telehealth today encompasses a broad range of devices and technologies innovated to transmit information from one point to another in real time, enabling medical professionals to provide services to facilities in rural and remote communities. Additionally, it has been increasingly used in providing public and private care for the treatment of a variety of medical conditions and mental illnesses, as well as dealing with medical emergencies. As a result, telehealth staffing has become more important than ever for medical facilities.
This article will present four important roles of telemedicine in modern healthcare.
Brings Expertise to Underserved Medical Facilities
Telemedicine enables the provisioning of medical expertise to facilities where they are not physically available. With telemedicine, physicians or nurses can consult with other physicians who specialize in certain medical conditions virtually and in real time to evaluate the patient and ensure that the right course of treatment is provided. For instance, a medical facility without a dedicated stroke team may not have the knowledge to manage someone with a stroke. With telehealth, they can easily consult an expert and follow measures prescribed by the physician.
Brings Specialized Care to People With Limited Accessibility
One of the most important benefits of telemedicine is that it brings specialized care to people who have limited access to more robust healthcare infrastructure. For instance, people in rural communities do not have immediate access to the healthcare services available in densely populated areas. Patients from these communities often have to drive hours to get access to the superior healthcare infrastructure of urban cities, which isn’t always practical. Telemedicine provides a solution by creating a way in which patients and physicians can remain in contact between appointments, and more importantly take appointments with specialists which otherwise would not be easily possible.
Practical and More Affordable For Patients
Telehealth used to be seen as discouragingly expensive because of its reliance on advanced technology. As a result, providers struggled to get rewarded for their service due to lack of or limited number of medical facilities or patients using the infrastructure. But the conception of its expensiveness is on the wane as communication technologies are becoming more accessible and affordable. Today, a number of insurance companies, along with Medicaid and Medicare, offer provisions that reimburse the use of telemedicine. In turn, patients are increasingly seeing it as more practical and affordable than before.
Maximizes Access to Mental Health Care
A field that has benefited most from telemedicine is mental health care. The management and monitoring of patients with mental health problems unlike medical conditions involve very little hands-on physical assessment and rely more on communicating with the patients. Telecommunication allows patients to get quick consultation and attend regular therapy sessions eliminating the need to show up physically which is not a necessity in this field of treatment and care.
Conclusion
Telehealth has become an integral part of modern healthcare as its features are becoming increasingly more advantageous for practitioners and more so for patients. It simplifies consulting, eliminating aspects that are troublesome and time consuming. As a result, more and more medical facilities are putting their focus on improving their telemedicine infrastructure and meeting their telehealth staffing requirements.
If you’re looking for telehealth staffing in Chicago, PsyPhyCare is a leading medical staffing firm in the area you can rely on to meet your staffing needs. Visit their website to learn more about their services and contact them.
