Telemedicine and remote healthcare services are gaining popularity and are helping hundreds of people that otherwise would no longer be able to afford routine healthcare checks. It’s also beneficial to people who cannot attend regular doctor appointments in that it is done on the internet or over the phone.
Telemedicine helps in delivering care to patients, and is available after regular office hours. Patients that have chronic conditions, such as diabetes or hypertension, can have their information remotely monitored with telemedicine.
Telemedicine and remote healthcare monitoring is done when patients enter their medical information through their computers, or other digital devices. The information is entered into secure sites, such as a clinic’s webpage, and then shared with the patient’s doctors. The doctors receive information quickly through voice message, emails or texts. The turn-around time for patients to receive responses is much quicker than when placing a phone call and hoping the message is forwarded to their doctor promptly. Pharmacies can be contacted quickly should a patient need a medication.
To date, remote healthcare monitoring has been very beneficial for patients that suffer with congestive heart failure, hypertension or diabetes in that their symptoms and/or vitals can be monitored at any time. Patients don’t need an appointment to use the service, and can use it even if they are not living in their home. By using a remote healthcare monitoring system, patients can see a substantial savings in medical bills. By having vitals and symptoms monitored in this way, patients can maintain a good quality of life at all times.
While Telemedicine and remote healthcare monitoring cannot replace emergency rooms or hospitals, it can help patients deal with issues such as cold or flu symptoms, headaches, or other minor concerns that can be treated quickly and efficiently.
Another benefit to the telemedicine and remote healthcare monitoring is that as its popularity grows, HMOs and healthcare providers are allowing it to be considered a covered service for their patients.