This year can be seen as the metamorphosis of medicine. In fact, the ATA’s 2017 Telehealth 2.0 focuses on how telehealth is transforming healthcare and creating competitive and cost advantages for those leveraging best practices.
Technology, telehealth, and virtual care can be expected to continue transforming healthcare in 5 ways:
- Communication: Driving real-time communication between providers, specialists, and patients. In emergency and urgent care situations, video calls are the answer for providers in need of immediate and impactful diagnoses and care decisions. Virtual consults will be the go-to-solution for ensuring that patients are getting “seen” by specialists, regardless of the specialists’ location.
- Capabilities: Enabling smaller and/or rural hospitals to leverage specialists from other facilities. For non-metro area hospitals, video technology is the answer for broadening and deepening the hospitals’ capabilities by allowing staff to reach out to specialists who may be hours away and/or associated with a different hospital. Virtual consults will be the go-to-solution for giving smaller and more remote hospitals extended and enhanced specialized staff, resulting in augmented and accelerated care of these rural communities’ patients.
- Convenience: Reducing windshield time spent by providers, specialists and patients. For providers and patients who spend much time driving to/from appointments and various facilities, video calls can reduce time behind the wheel and minimize time waiting for an appointment. Virtual visits will be the go-to-solution for situations where patients do not need to be physically present, but providers and patients need to be able to see and speak with each other in real-time to ensure adherence to the treatment plan.
- Channels: Allowing patients to participate in their healthcare from any device, anywhere, and at any time. For patients and caregivers, keeping on top of healthcare communications with one’s care staff is critical to accessing follow-up care. Virtual visits will be the go-to-solution for conducting impactful conversations whenever and wherever someone might be, allowing patients and caregivers to remain engaged in their relationship with their care and their providers.
- Care: Enhancing patient engagement, overall satisfaction and outcomes. Ultimately, technology and virtual care solutions will continue to transform the timing and delivery of patient care. Providers, specialists, and patients recognize the benefits and value of virtual care communication platforms. In time, virtual consults and virtual visits will become second-nature to access and use in healthcare processes.