Introduction
Drastic innovation is the central theme of healthcare technologies. Telehealth solutions have been around for some years but came to their best use during the global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Advancements in healthcare technology have brought about the use of:
• Digital tools
• Telehealth
• Electronic medical records
• Artificial intelligence
To transform our healthcare services and make them more efficient. Some of the beneficial uses of telehealth are:
• To the providers, you get the opportunity to reduce no-show rates and service more patients
• To the patients, you get an increase in care accessibility and a cut back on traveling and wait time
• To the payer, you get a cut back on the cost of transport and also low costs due to receipts for more timely care.
Telehealth and electronic medical records
This is a stepping stone to the evolution of healthcare. It is game-changing for professionals and patients for communication and access to care. Telehealth will extend beyond episodic treatment into chronic illness management and maintenance. Electronic medical records can be used to record data centrally in an online location, which helps keep track of individual health trends and more accurate care. This allows patients with greater access and convenient maintenance.
Digital tools
The COVID-19 pandemic showed us the necessity of real-time, error-free data and the benefits of a healthcare system capable of displaying data without delays. Digital tools help in;
• accessing and analyzing data
• making critical forecasts
The usage of a digital tool like;
• Blockchain technology
• Artificial intelligence
• Big data analysis
• Quantum computing
Can assist in acquiring valuable insights to making real-time decisions.
Shortcomings
Telehealth is a fast-growing form of technology that might not flourish as expected cause of some barriers like;
• Variation in billing and reimbursement rates
• Limited and inconsistent interstate license of healthcare providers
• Access to information for telehealth practitioners from far-off hospitals.
Conclusion
Telehealth is something that our governments and health facilities should embrace and help advance to create a good environment in health care and help save lives.