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Telehealth is on the rise in popularity due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Telemedicine, telehealth, and overall remote patient monitoring force healthcare services to be delivered without the patient’s physical presence at a healthcare facility. Due to these forced changes and new economy oversights, the face of healthcare and its operators are drastically changing.

A Shift In Healthcare Services

As Livestream video demand increases, brick-and-mortar facilities could be facing trouble in the future. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals who required routine and non-critical needs were guided to make appointments using hyperlinks. Although the current healthcare shift is convenient, that does not necessarily mean the present circumstances are better.

Some of the good news is patients do not have to wait for months to be seen by appointment, and the need to stay in overcrowded waiting rooms is no longer an issue. While patients are excited about these changes, reality sets in when individuals realize, their co-pays remain the same.

Driving Change Is A Necessity

To get a general idea of where current healthcare is headed, look back at what happened during the Tuberculosis Care starting from 1980 to 2020. The ’90s were the days of wall-mounted vides phones to make the need for treatment and care more accessible and more convenient. With more innovative technology, such as FaceTime and Skype, different healthcare security standards were achieved.

Increase of Healthtech Investments

Although many of these healthcare changes make receiving it more convenient, this does not mean all types of healthcare will be delivered through technology only. Using innovative technology to drive effective and efficient delivery of healthcare services, Heal reinvents the primary care house call.

Impact on Most Businesses

Due to the current healthcare changes, every business is a healthcare business, which means companies need to expect yet another shift in employee-funded programs.

Changing for the Better

While most of these changes are great, the changes are not happening quickly enough for everyone to benefit, including high-risk patients, including patients who have depression, immunocompromised organ transplant recipients, addiction, pediatric asthma, and similar conditions. We can only hope and wish the COVID-19 pandemic dissipates, but all of the tremendous changes and growth in healthcare remain the same.

As people seek to heed the call to stay home and abate COVID-19, telemedicine’s role in providing healthcare for children can become apparent. Telehealth enables parents to seek healthcare services for their children without necessarily making physical visits for face-to-face services. Through these virtual visits, pediatricians can perform some tests, treatments, and, where necessary, refer patients for more advanced care.

How Does Telemedicine Work?

To employ this technology, both the patient and doctor must have compelling video and audio sources. This means that telemedicine visits can be carried out over any device that has a webcam. Therefore, telephones, laptops, and computers can be used. To further enhance telemedicine visit effectiveness, there should be minimal or no distractions. The room where the child is should be well lit and private. A parent should also be within if the doctor needs help conducting a physical assessment on the child.

Are There Cases When Telemedicine is Not Suitable?

There is increased support for telemedicine in delivering patient care not only because of the risks caused by COVID-19 but also because this approach to healthcare delivery has proven viable for the future. Therefore, where suitable, available, and appropriate, pediatricians use telemedicine visits to guarantee continued care access. However, parents should note that if their child has alarming symptoms such as high fevers in infants or experiencing difficulty breathing, a face-to-face visit is essential. Physical visits should also be made if a child requires more detailed testing and exam than virtual visits.

What Should a Parent Consider?

If a parent needs to shift to telemedicine for their child’s healthcare service, they should, first, confirm with their pediatrician about the availability of such services. The pediatrician will also advise whether a virtual visit is a good idea for different children since they know their patients’ (children) health history. If a parent seeks virtual visit services from a new doctor, it is essential to cross-check the examiner’s accreditations, qualifications, and credentials. As technology permeates our lives in dimensions previously unfathomable, it has and will continue to transform child healthcare delivery through telemedicine.

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC has caught players in the medical field by surprise. Many neurologists, have seen variously suspected and COVID-19 patients complain of new or escalating headaches. Luckily, telemedicine has received a boost from private insurers, federal and state laws that enable neurologists to handle patients using telemedicine. Before the emergence of coronavirus, neurologists could only use telemedicine to treat people who had a stroke or live in rural areas. Before the emergence of the virus, many neurologists were reluctant to adopt telemedicine in my practice since they thought it would not have a better experience than an in-person encounter with a patient. Many neurologists are now convinced that this is the future of modern medicine.

Here’s why: Patients who live in far-flung areas with few specialists can now access quality care. Most patients who suffer from chronic migraines and prefer telemedicine than having to walk into the clinic. Research has shown that telemedicine is as useful as in-person visits and is cost-effective.
Some medical institutions and practices might experience a challenge due to cost limitations and electronic records not being integrated. Multistate providers may also suffer from a lack of standard policies among states.

Due to the rising cases of infections and fatalities from the disease, it is critical to enact telemedicine laws. This will enable patients who have exhausted their sick days to receive medical care without missing work.
Today, many essential workers, including nurses, teachers, and police officers, have to be at home to care for their children. African Americans, Hispanics, and others with low socioeconomic statuses, already suffering from persistent health inequalities, may be disproportionately burdened by lost work time due to coronavirus.

It is estimated that virtual health care services will hit 1 billion by the end of 2020. Significant investment in time and resources are being made in harnessing the power of telemedicine in clinical services. The management of chronic diseases and future pandemics will be revolutionized by legislation that supports the use of telemedicine into the future, including the Helping Ensure Access to Local TeleHealth Act of 2020.

While the shift to telemedicine was already happening in some healthcare areas in the United States, the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated that shift, revolutionizing healthcare practitioners practice medicine. This change to telemedicine has quickly become routine and not likely to return to how it was during pre-pandemic times. One of those fields of healthcare embracing telemedicine in the field of eye care.

How Eyecare is Embracing Telemedicine

When you think of eye care, it’s not easy to see how that particular healthcare field can take care of its patients through telemedicine, especially with eye tests, placing your chin on a pad, and looking through lenses while the doctor tests your vision. These days, it’s possible to perform vision screenings on mobile devices, such as retinal imaging, and monitor eye health.

Another change the telemedicine provides is that patients and doctors can communicate asynchronously. These changes mean the patient doesn’t have to take time off work to speak with their eye doctor.

Remote Eye Care Enhances In-Person Care

Naturally, there will be times when remote eye care is not an option, and the patient will have to see their provider in-person, such as specific tests and the need for hands-on diagnostic testing and procedures. Ocular telemedicine isn’t a replacement for in-person care but only serves to enhance the field of eye care and make things easier for both the patient and the provider. Since it’s possible to perform vision screenings on mobile devices, the patient no longer needs to spend time at their provider’s office.

Policy Changes Make Ocular Telemedicine Simpler

The COVID-19 pandemic forced those who provide health insurance to improve their telemedicine reimbursement policies. These changes broaden access to Medicare telemedicine, as well as a broader range of services. There’s also new legislation regarding maintenance and improvements to the telehealth system, making it more accessible. There are also signs that these changes in the telehealth system will stay even after the pandemic ends.

According to a poll conducted by the University of Michigan on healthy aging, people are becoming more confident in telemedicine. In the past year, older adults revealed at least one primary concern about using telemedicine. A year later, in mid-2020, the situation is different, with many people being free to try out telehealth visits.

This is especially among those that did virtual visits between March and June this year. Ironically, even in the current coronavirus pandemic, not all older adults see telehealthcare as a sufficient substitute for in-person care. According to the poll, 17% of those aged above 50 years say they have never tried any video conference tool, including telehealthcare.

As much as the figure is 11% higher than that recorded in 2019, lack of access or experience could hinder receiving medical care without leaving homes. This happens amidst the rising number of coronavirus cases in the US. According to Lorraine Buis, a health information researcher at the University of Michigan, the poll results implicates health providers that have been drumming up support for telehealth offerings.

She further said that tracking the course of change over time could be critical in determining future efforts and underscores the need for extensive research on barriers, concerns, and the use of telemedicine by the elderly.

Telehealth Acceptance Among the Elderly

The poll results showed that by June 2020, 30% of the older people above 50 years have participated in a telemedicine visit. This has been looked at as a reflection of changes made in the insurance coverage a few months before the pandemic. The figures from March to June indicate that many individuals tried out telehealthcare due to states mandating reductions in non-emergency and elective health care.

The subsequent coronavirus related restrictions also played a role in the significant increase in telehealth visits. The stay-at-home orders, in particular, led to many people trying out telemedicine care.

The COVID-19 virus has altered the way our country provides medical care. With in-office visits strictly limited, virtual tours have taken center stage.

When looking at telemedicine, this can include both phone and video calls. The main advantage of these is that both doctor and patient are safe within their spaces, making the risk of contracting COVID-19 nonexistent.

Although there are numerous advantages to telemedicine, there is a steep learning curve with many older Americans. Top doctors at John Hopkins University offer some advice in their recent writings in Annals of Internal Medicine

One of the main concerns is, according to the U.S National Institutes of Health, nearly half of American’s over the age of 75, some type of difficulty with hearing.

One way to curb this is for patients to use headsets as this will drown out background noise and allow the patient to hear better. Those with difficulty hearing may not notice this issue until they are forced into a situation that relies on their discussion.

For patients with hearing problems, video calls would allow the patient to pick up on visual cues and will additionally enable the doctor to examine the patient better to see what’s ailing them.

The unfortunate reality is that seniors may not have access to the internet, which will be a concern mostly with lower-income seniors. Physicians need to be conscious of this and ensure they ask their patients what type of care they prefer.

Many older American’s see a phone call as being a courtesy, so there will also need to be some adjustments and expectations set by the doctor that the phone or video call will still result in the patient receiving a bill.

Although telemedicine visits have begun to slow down due to doctor’s offices reopening in the past few months, telemedicine can still be beneficial to many seniors depending on their unique situations.

The current pandemic’s role in promoting telemedicine remains evident, as millions of US citizens utilized telehealth services. At its best, virtual care has proved its importance in treating uncomplicated respiratory infections. However, the hurdle remains as to how it can enhance primary care for chronic diseases.

The future of telemedicine hangs on the balance as the debate on whether insurers will continue covering telehealth into the post-pandemic period permeates different platforms. Despite broad bipartisan backing, without proper legislation, the pilot insurance program is as good as over. Now that lawmakers remain reluctant about telemedicine’s potential cost, even private insurers may not balance between virtual and in-person reimbursements.

Renowned insurers such as UnitedHealthcare are still hesitant on whether they will continue covering telemedicine services beyond September. While others like Cigna plan to continue with the insurance plan but on a pandemic level only. The federal government that sets the pace for telemedicine is likely on the verge of reverting the decision to reimburse virtual care providers once the pandemic’s effects on emergency care end unless legislators extend reimbursement policies into the post-pandemic period.

The number of face-to-face medical examinations has started rising as the pandemic recedes in some of the states. While many patients confirm that they opted for telemedicine to avoid infections in crowded doctor facilities and emergency rooms, many say they prefer traditional visits.

Some insurers such as BlueCross BlueShield have confirmed their commitment to supporting telemedicine into the future, although the cost remains unsettled. High-risk patients and accessible legislators such as Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee want the Medicare program to continue. They cite that virtual consultations remain essential in enhancing the quality of medical care.

The bottom line

The current pandemic is a revelation to the importance of telehealth services in the USA medical sector. However, telemedicine will not stay any longer without proper mechanisms such as adequate doctor training and reimbursement regulations.

As patients increasingly look for convenient and affordable care, other methods of meeting patients are gradually replacing in-person visits. Today, innovations in telemedicine present new ways of handling public health emergencies and disasters like Covid-19.

n-demand telemedicine is a modern approach to sorting patients before they are taken to the emergency department (ED). The method allows for efficient patient screening, focuses on the patient, promotes communication, and provides health care providers with critical data such as travel and exposure histories. Telemedicine can be used in self-quarantine cases, effectively protecting patients, clinicians, and the community from exposure.

More U.S. health systems already have or are outsourcing these programs to attend to patients at home while minimizing exposure. In terms of combatting Covid-19, the telemedicine systems feature bots that allow for video visits with care providers and refer moderate-to-high risk patients to the right nurse triage lines.

In case of emergencies or high-risk patients in isolation, the technology allows clinicians to work remotely to cover multiple sites. Provided web-conferencing software and a secure open line; tablets can be used in ambulatory care settings, isolation facilities, and exam rooms. This system works for patients who aren’t sick but can expose clinicians, visitors, and other patients to the disease. Physicians can also use an electronic intensive care unit (e-ICU) programs to monitor patients in ICUs in different hospitals remotely.

Mobile integrated healthcare programs and community paramedicine make it possible for clinicians to virtually provide expert medical care to patients at home. When the patient gets sicker, the technology reduces exposure by facilitating their direct transfer to a hospital bed, which means that patients can access subspecialists who may not be available in person.
Also, when health care workers contract Covid-19 and are quarantined at home, workforce capacity suffers greatly. Telemedicine not only minimizes exposure but also allows quarantined clinicians to provide services virtually.

In a nutshell, disasters and pandemics present significant challenges to the healthcare system. Telemedicine will not solve all the problems but will go a long way in ensuring the existing infrastructure is suited for the scenario and that clinicians can see patients. In these times of Covid-19, telemedicine can be beneficial.

Unfortunately, drastic times might open doors that host unprecedented opportunities. In the wake of the novel Coronavirus pandemic, it’s safe to say more horizons have emerged, but we can all agree that telehealth Medicare provision is undoubtedly groundbreaking. Although CMS’ Fostering Innovations Initiative was a top priority plan in Trump’s administration to improve telehealth Medicare for seniors, the pandemics exigencies were crucial in making telemedicine a lifeline.

Telemedicine, including Medicare telehealth and other like services, is now essential to provide remote safe healthcare provision to seniors and other Medicare holders. Through authority and many a time via capitalization of various congressional authorizations in pandemic relief legislation, CMS has managed to topple policies that hinder telemedicine healthcare services. This, in turn, allows a variety of beneficiaries to receive safe, clinic-quality Medicare.

Amazing new features

We strive to make more telehealth features available for vulnerable individuals at home even after the pandemic passes. Now, Medicare patients can run an eye exam as well as ventilator management from their couch. We’ve added more than 135 features for a more convenient clinical tool during the entire epidemic, which you could use to complement traditional Medicare. Other features Medicare beneficiaries will have access to include:

• Telehealth-eligible psychiatric and psychological services
• Remote emergency room access
• Accessible and palatable virtual check-ups
• Expanded list of providers from occupational to physical therapists

There are more exclusive features and benefits accompanied by telemedicine. It reduces the risk seniors, and other Medicare holders are exposed to when seeking standard face to face meetups, for instance.

The future of telemedicine

Telemedicine healthcare provision is currently experiencing a rapid but unprecedented boom as the preferred clinical tool. According to preliminary data, more than 9million Americans sought the services of telemedicine in traditional healthcare provision. This displays a 5000pc rise in satisfied patients within the last three months. The data also indicates that 60% of mental health patients using telehealth-eligible psychiatric services engaged telemedicine to minimize the stigma associated with mental disorders. This is an excellent way to protect both healthcare providers and patients while conserving scarce PPE, which could be used by harder-pressed medics. Nonetheless, Congress needs to enact more favorable policies to ensure all Medicare holders, including seniors, are adequately covered.