May 3, 2023
Improving patient outcomes has always been an ongoing goal for healthcare providers as they want to improves patient outcomes. Today, healthcare service providers have been using a relatively new digital patient engagement tool known as telehealth.
There are many reasons to love telehealth – it's convenient, affordable, and accessible. This digital tool received great hype during the pandemic. Healthcare providers already see 50 to 175 times more patients via telehealth apps than before the pandemic. Telehealth is as effective as in-person care and contributes to better patient outcomes in several ways.
Due to the numerous benefits that patient telehealth provides, providers are also looking to implement it. These include higher income, more flexible timing, lower expenses, and a better work-life balance. However, these factors only count if they lead to better patient outcomes that result in patients who are healthy and content. Luckily, telehealth is capable of achieving that.
Telehealth and mobile health apps are innovative solutions that can help drive success for a value-based care model. McKinsey & Company estimates that in 2021, 55% of patients will report being more satisfied with telehealth/virtual care visits than in-person consultations. The telehealth service benefits include higher earnings, more flexible scheduling, fewer expenses, and a better work-life balance. Because of the numerous benefits it provides, physicians are also striving to promote telehealth solution as they lead to better patient outcomes, resulting in patients who are healthy and content.
The below-enlisted ways can help you improve patient outcomes with a telehealth program.
Telehealth covers the typical drawbacks of an in-person appointment system, like cost, distance, and time. It can also enhance patient outcomes by transparently educating them about their complete reports.
Education can be easily delivered by creating quizzes and instructional videos customized to each patient's diagnosis, therapy, and medication to impart knowledge easily throughout their medical appointments. During virtual visits, medical professionals can also review the modules with patients they have already finished.
Telehealth platforms provide caregivers with patient information and a channel for communication and monitoring of their health. There are over 90 million Americans who provide care for patients of advanced age or living with chronic conditions, disabilities, or diseases. Most of these caregivers are usually family members caring for their loved ones.
The quality of care a patient receives is linked to several factors, including healthcare infrastructure and resources, physician satisfaction, and patient engagement. Ensuring the best patient outcomes requires a good balance of these elements. With a telehealth platform, once-manual processes that require much time or an in-person visit are now streamlined with technology, so the focus for clinicians is on providing excellent patient care. Clinicians can monitor their patient's health status in real-time and communicate with them about their symptoms, medication adherence, and concerns.
To better serve patients and enhance results, collecting and analyzing patient data is essential to identify risky conditions in them. Practitioners should use telehealth apps with predictive analytics to identify at-risk patients and protect them from adverse consequences. Clinicians can gather a comprehensive picture of every patient and prioritize care plans based on risk to proactively deliver the best possible care.
Many challenges prevent patients from accessing better care, such as having access to reliable transportation and lengthy commutes. The mentioned difficulties may hinder underserved areas or rural places patients from scheduling appointments or seeking preventative treatment. By removing these obstacles and lowering the cost of healthcare, telehealth solution improves patient outcomes with treatment.
According to Census Bureau data from March 2020, one-third of Americans express clinically severe symptoms of anxiety or clinical depression. If left untreated, these conditions have the potential to turn deadly.
Access to psychiatrists and other mental health specialists is possible via telehealth services that provide teletherapy. With that facility, remote psychiatrists can immediately recommend a medication plan for emergency rooms, where prolonged wait times frequently result in deteriorating symptoms. This reduces patients' time in bed while waiting for a consultation.
Many chronic diseases and other conditions that limit mobility are a regular challenge addressed by millions of Americans. This challenge is overcome by telehealth. It removes the requirement for every session to be held in the clinic. Thus, creating ease in monitoring patients and ensuring they follow their treatment regimens.
This article tells you that telehealth services accessibility, cost, and convenience assist individuals in taking an active role in their care, which improves patient outcomes. The healthcare systems that do not offer telehealth apps risk falling behind as patients continue to choose ways that offer convenient treatment.
