What are the benefits of telemedicine?

The options appear to be endless as providers seek out new ways to supply the best care for their patients. The onslaught of new technologies is endless and the wealth of choices can be overwhelming, but there are choices that caregivers should look at first when considering what new service to add to their practice. One of the first services that those involved in medicine should consider implementing is telemedicine.

Benefits of Telemedicine During COVID-19

During the time of COVID-19, practices and hospitals became overwhelmed. Federal officials eased restrictions on telemedicine and allowed providers from out of state to come to the aid of those in need, using telemedicine technologies to provide support during the pandemic.

When stay-at-home orders across the country were enforced, providers utilized telemedicine to stay in contact with patients. For those who are immunocompromised, telemedicine was a literal lifesaver, allowing contact with healthcare providers to remain consistent even when leaving the house was not an option

Benefits of Telemedicine in Everyday life

Outside of the pandemic, the advantages of telemedicine are becoming clearer and clearer to providers who utilize these practices. Remote patient monitoring allows doctors to keep an eye on a variety of patient stats in real-time. Without either the provider or the patient stepping foot in the office or hospital, these technologies are allowing providers to keep track of patients and determine whether an in-person appointment is necessary.

Patients with demanding work schedules, or who struggle to find child care at the last minute no longer have to travel far from home to sit in a waiting room for an hour for a 20-minute doctor appointment. An NIH study found that 42% of patients become no-shows due to a variety of reasons, including unable to get off of work and finding childcare. A benefit of telemedicine is conversations of health can occur without affecting a patient’s financial well-being.

Benefits of Telemedicine for Practices

Providers find the benefits of telemedicine aren’t just showing up in the level of care, but also in their bottom line.

Telemedicine provides health professionals the ability to find new patients in new zip codes that once seemed out of reach, and allow patients who once thought care was too far away to be reached. For those supplying mental health support, the ability to extend a hand out to new clients for appointments becomes easier when you take the element of proximity out of the equation.

Beam Health knows how telemedicine can provide better support for providers and patients and has built a platform that is easy to implement for both. With implementation times of under 24 hours for providers and doesn’t require patients to download software or an app, Beam Health can be easily plugged in and utilized in no time. For those providers who are hesitant when it comes to telemedicine, book a time for a free demo here to have a Beam team member walk you through how easy it is to utilize this new technology because at Beam we make telemedicine easy.