When the Covid-19 virus first spread through the world, the immediate answer was to lock down and prevent people from leaving their homes to stop the spread of the virus. However, this also presented a problem – especially for those needing regular health check-ups. This was remedied by physicians moving online and offering remote care. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed telehealth, citing a 154% increase in telehealth visits when the pandemic started.

While this practice has been around for a long time, its popularity surged during the pandemic. Advancements in technology helped push the field further and helped doctors make more accurate diagnoses despite being online. With the pandemic seemingly calming down, why should you, as a specialist physician, still consider remote care?

Remote care allows cost reductions

Remote care or telemedicine allow for cost reductions in your operations. It can reduce the travel costs for you and it also saves your patients from potentially costly trips to the clinic or ER. A simple trip to the ER can cost at an average of $1,800 according to a blog post by Consumer Health Ratings. Getting that online consultation could help them avoid unnecessary costly trips, especially to specialists who may have a long waitlist or are located in more expensive healthcare facilities.

Accessible healthcare

Telemedicine makes healthcare accessible. This is especially true for those living in rural areas or for people whose insurance doesn’t have broad coverage. Moreover, Wheel’s write-up on telemedicine physicians explains how more specialist physicians are incorporating remote work. This is because it gives them a better work-life balance while increasing opportunities to provide care to more patients. This helps prevent burnout which is becoming increasingly common in healthcare practices.

Healthcare via telemedicine is also much more convenient for people with chronic conditions who are unable to make the commute to specialist doctors.

Remote care improves healthcare

Having remote care can improve the standard of healthcare a specialist physician can offer. It also boosts productivity by reducing non-essential, tedious tasks and allowing doctors to focus on their main jobs. Specifically, specialist physicians who often need to move around hospitals for their consultations can now do it remotely and can spend more time with their patients.

It’s also advantageous for people who need a specialist physician who lives in another state. Remote care can connect these patients with physicians with whom they wouldn’t usually have contact with.
Increase patient satisfaction

Having remote care improves patient satisfaction. With the pandemic, some people are still wary of being out and about. Having an option to consult with a specialist remotely gives them peace of mind. This is very beneficial for high-risk patients who can’t risk being exposed to any infections. In addition, some people simply prefer getting the care they need from their homes.

Aside from their physicians having more time with their patients, remote care also provides patients with a booking system that they can take advantage of.

Is Remote Care for You?

Telemedicine doesn’t aim to completely eradicate in-person appointments, but it is now key for physicians to elevate their patient care while also taking care of their own health. It is a way of healthcare that can improve how physicians do their work.

For more ways technology is changing healthcare check out our post ‘5 Tools & Apps to Help You Become a Better Caregiver’.

All of the above apps are easily accessible and can help provide support to those giving care. Thank you for reading, and we hope that this list proves useful to you.