Telehealth is a virtual and remote form of medical care that has been taking hold even before the pandemic began. During the pandemic, it has seen a meteoric rise as it provides doctors with the ability to meet with their patients, provide diagnoses, and prescribe medication from a distance. Without an office visit being involved, doctors have been able to see more patients, maintain sterile practices, and stay safe. This new option for medical care is still on the rise, and it’s unlikely that it will be going anywhere after the pandemic is over.
What To Know About Telehealth and How It Can Benefit You
One of the cornerstones of the rise of Telehealth has been the availability of high-speed internet and video conferencing services. Many medical concerns don’t actually require a visit to the office to get diagnosed and treated but instead can be identified and managed remotely. Not only does this make things easier for the patient being treated, but it prevents further spread of illness by encouraging them to stay home. What other benefits are there to Telehealth?
- Providers and Patients Both Benefit – Every part of the health care system benefits from using telehealth practices. It can lower the cost of your visits by reducing the overhead faced by medical practitioners, and there’s less rehospitalization necessary when cross-infection is eliminated.
- A Growing Availability – New telehealth systems are popping up all over in fields ranging from general medicine to mental health. These tools help patients by giving them greater availability of providers, while providers benefit from being able to provide a farther-reaching range of patients with care.
- Greater Insurance Coverage – Insurance companies are already getting on board with this new practice by adding coverage for it to their plans. Telehealth is becoming so well established that insurance providers are treating it as a trusted way to get care for their patients.
- Greater Satisfaction – Patients who are being treated through telehealth services are routinely reporting a greater degree of satisfaction with the medical care they’re receiving. The concerns of those thinking that telehealthcare may mean lower standards of care are being proven wrong every day.
As Telehealth continues to grow, you can expect to see more and more providers offering it as an option. Imagine it no longer being necessary to leave the comfort of your own home to get treatment when you’re sick. No more do you have to drive yourself or find someone to drive you, to get the care you need when ill. Instead, you just need to pick up a phone and reach out to your medical provider.
Understanding The Background Of Telemedicine
The first telehealth services began being offered about fifty years ago, but at that time, the services offered were minimal. As technology has grown and high-speed internet more universal, this field has been seeing substantial growth. Throughout the year’s multiple inventions came and went trying to make this field a reality, and today it’s finally become possible. From patient portals to video conference consultations, the future of telemedicine is here. There is even a growing push to create robotic surgical suites allowing skilled surgeons to treat patients anywhere on the globe that has access to them.
