July 31, 2023
The post-COVID era is completely different from the pre-COVID one, as healthcare practices have now rapidly adopted healthcare technology solutions. Healthcare organizations are using cutting-edge solutions to address these difficulties as a result of the sector's quick evolution. In this article, we will talk about the most commonly used technology (i.e., telehealth and how it empowers patients who need urgent care).
Telehealth refers to the use of digital resources and communication tools to manage your health care and receive medical treatments remotely. Computers and mobile gadgets like tablets and smartphones are examples of telehealth technologies.
Integrating telehealth into an existing healthcare system helps provide patients with instant access to on-demand care from a qualified clinician. Telehealth helps patients avoid expensive urgent care visits and long wait times. The location and mobility of a patient have no bearing on the range or caliber of care that can be provided. Traveling to a physical facility is no longer a prerequisite or a barrier to receiving care. Instead, a patient can conduct a virtual visit with a clinician from the convenience, privacy, and security of the home or from any other location.
Telehealth helps patients access medical attention in a matter of minutes. It has revolutionized care delivery by providing patients with medical care without requiring them to leave their homes. In order to improve patient involvement, telehealth has made it simple and convenient for patients and healthcare professionals to communicate remotely via text or video conference.
The use of telehealth helps remove barriers to medical care by providing access to care to patients in non-medical settings or outside of a medical institution. It is most beneficial for patients with transportation issues, a lack of healthcare access in rural areas, or those who worry about contracting a disease at a doctor's office. Access to care is made easier by telehealth. It improves patient involvement since access to care is more readily available, regardless of location, and the usage of technology is simple, so patients do not feel overwhelmed when maintaining their health. Telehealth gives patients the power to take charge of their lives by raising awareness and creating personalized treatments.
In the value-based care delivery system, patient engagement is of the utmost importance. Telehealth helps improve patient engagement by making care more accessible. Other than convenient tele-visits, telehealth is also used to provide online registrations, appointment scheduling, cancellations, wait time visibility, and feedback mechanisms. It is essential that urgent care centers leverage telehealth and its tools to improve patient care to engage patients in various ways and ensure their participation throughout their visits, whether virtual or in-person; urgent care clinics must engage in patient-centered activities. This helps enhance the efficiency of the clinicians as service providers and the workflow in urgent care centers.
Telehealth helps patients in remote areas, those with disabilities, and those without access to transportation benefit from high-quality healthcare services. It works particularly well for follow-up appointments, reviewing diagnostic tests, providing care for chronic diseases, and keeping track of medication. Telehealth help improve patient outcomes as they minimize time away from work, school, or other commitments. Telehealth gives individuals more control over their own healthcare experiences by giving them extra options. Along with all the advantages it offers, it also gives patients complete control and a better awareness of their own health.
Telehealth is highly effective in ensuring patients' safety. In urgent care facilities, COVID-19 poses a great threat to infection among patients. Patients started becoming worried for their own and their family's safety. This caused a need for safer healthcare services. Thus, urgent care centers adopted telehealth solutions to keep their patients at the top of their priority list. Through additional consultation choices and clinic accessibility, it also enhances the standard and strategy of treatment provided to patients.
Telehealth also helps with preventative care. Providers do not need to identify chronic diseases in their early stages and then develop choices for resistant drugs to treat the disease at its source rather than waiting until patients are in the late stages of the disease.
Integrating telehealth into urgent care processes enables prompt payment of doctors after each diagnosis, course of treatment, or procedure. Telehealth links and streamlines the procedures by integrating with the practice management system, or EHR. It automatically initiates video sessions based on the patient's chart and cues the necessary patient notifications that must be sent out, improving the accuracy and visibility of urgent care services overall.
With telehealth in urgent care, patients are no longer confined by the limitations of distance or time. The ability to access medical expertise from the comfort of their homes or while on the go empowers individuals to take proactive charge of their health. Telehealth helps put patients at the center of their healthcare journey.
Talkehr is among the top providers of telehealth solutions that help urgent care practices improve patient care and increase efficiency.
