With telemedicine having been demonstrated as a primary tool for healthcare accessibility among otherwise isolated populations, it makes perfect sense to leverage telemedicine services and technology within correctional facilities.
Alleviates security and safety nightmares
Clinics and correctional facilities are faced with ensuring effective safety standards are met during patient transfer and even while visiting with a physician. Telemedicine mitigates logistical and security risks by eliminating the need for the patient transfer in the first place.
A majority of daily patient care seen in correctional facilities is follow up appointments, chronic care management or basic primary needs – and these can all addressed via telemedicine. Because the quality of care provided by practiced telemedicine physicians is on par with that of in-person visits, inmates can still receive the best possible care – it’s a best-of-both-worlds scenario.
“Telemedicine eliminates logistical and security risks.”
Remote consultations save time and money
Secure transport of inmates and providing adequate security staffing during the appointment is definitely not an expense that can be ignored or one that you want to see cut backs on. However if the amount of patients that don’t need to be transported for healthcare purposes goes down, there are significant savings that can be achieved because they can easily be seen via remote consultations.
One of the biggest benefits of telemedicine is its capacity to deliver patient care remotely to otherwise inaccessible areas – and this is greatly magnified in a correctional setting. A report from the U.S. Department of Justice revealed that, on average, the cost of a telemedicine-based consult was $71 per case, versus $173 for a face-to-face consultation. This is a 60 percent savings that could go a long way toward improving correctional healthcare across the country.
Where to start?
Many administrators who have yet to dive into the world of telemedicine may be concerned about cost, logistics or an overabundance of information available resulting in a sort of analysis paralysis. Fortunately, many telemedicine vendors specialize in working with clients to establish custom telemedicine solutions to meet specific needs on a case-by-case basis.
For more information on creating your own custom telemedicine solution, visit www.amdtelemedicine.com.
