With the advent of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, many things have changed. One of those changes may be the number of primary and specialty care physicians available. While these changes may cause some disruption in traditional medicine, they are also likely to help advance more efficient methods. Telemedicine, or telehealth is one of the most effective of these modern techniques.
Telemedicine Is Remote Assistance
Telemedicine is physician assistance from afar. With modern technology, people are talking to one another on a nearly constant basis. Video chats have become routine in offices and between friends. Telemedicine takes advantage of this technology, allowing physicians, technicians and nurses to communicate without the hassle and time required in commuting from one place to another. Physicians can eliminate some of their costly travel from office to office or from home to office. Video chatting and remote monitoring are quickly eliminating unnecessary trips.
Safer, More Efficient Health Care Through Telemedicine
Often, a patient with a simple illness can be treated without ever seeing the doctor. Valuable time that used to be wasted driving to the doctor’s office can be retained simply with a telehealth checkup. Patients do not necessarily need to sit in a physicians office, exposing themselves to the myriad of diseases and illnesses that other patients have brought with them. Patients also do not need to expose others unnecessarily. Telemedicine is the modern, safe and efficient alternative to old-fashioned house calls.
As the overall number of primary and specialty physicians continues to decline with the changes Obamacare has ushered in, the time each doctor has available will also decline. Modernizing the industry of health care is essential to meet these challenges. Telemedicine is a proven technique to reduce unnecessary travel, cut costs and eliminate safety challenges connected with office visits. The future of medicine certainly lies in a physician’s ability to reach as many patients as possible, while providing accurate diagnoses and advise. Telemedicine is the answer.