Here’s how telemedicine can positively impact your ability to provide patient-centered care:
Provide easier access to care
At its core, telemedicine is best known for helping physicians get in touch with patients who find it difficult to make their way to the hospital or doctor’s office for a visit because they are not physically able to or reside in hard-to-reach rural areas. Patients now have the opportunity to connect with physicians via telemedicine instead of traveling hours to receive care, or worse, not receiving any care at all.
“Breaking barriers to communication should be a top priority for providers.”
“We have seen that about one-third of our participants come from rural regions,” Reena Pande, MD, told mHealth Intelligence. “These are individuals who would probably never get the type of care we deliver – a combination of behavioral, coaching and therapy delivered to high-risk medical populations. They may never have access to those types of providers in their regions or neighborhoods. It’s a real thrill to see that we can improve access to care nationally by this type of mechanism delivery.”
Improve routes to communication
If you can’t develop a true connection with your patients, you’ll have a difficult time discovering what type of care they need. Breaking barriers to communication, which could involve travel issues or even an opportunity to get comfortable, should be a top priority for providers. According to a study conducted by researchers in the Department of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University, telemedicine can be considered a powerful alternative– and preference –for in-person communication and visits. Most patients said video visits made it easier for them to communicate with the healthcare provider in terms of comfort, social support and privacy.
Give patients more control over their care
Patients are increasingly taking more control over their care, so why not make it easy for them? If you don’t provide your patients with an convenient and secure way to access their doctors, they will go to elsewhere. By leveraging tools such as a telehealth platform, you can allow your patients to request virtual visits and manage their own digital health data, at both your convenience and theirs.
Ensure patient-centered care with AMD Global Telemedicine
Telemedicine can be the tool you need to take your facility to the next level. Putting patients first to ensure all of their care wants and needs are met will deliver better business results for your organization. Why not service your patients with your own healthcare providers instead of outsourcing telemedicine visit needs? This is a more cost effective way to deliver increased access to care and keep your patients within your circle of care. The OnDemand Visit® virtual platform enables healthcare organizations to connect patients with their own providers for a real-time medical visit through any mobile or PC device. A virtual connection takes place in minutes, eliminating the need for patients to travel to an appointment for simple acute conditions or chronic disease management.
For more information on how AMD can help you deliver more patient-centered healthcare, contact us today.
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