Telemedicine Can Help Fix Overcrowded Doctors Offices with Online Appointments
Healthcare problems are prevalent in all administrations across the globe. From low insurance covers to high cost of medical treatment and overcrowded facilities, the healthcare system is in dire need of an adjustment. Over the last few years, telemedicine has become quite popular within the medical community. In the US alone, around 7 million patients used some kind of telemedicine service in 2018. Pundits expect this number to increase tremendously, considering more than half of US hospitals use telemedicine and there are more than 200 such networks in the country.
How can telemedicine fix overcrowded doctor offices?
Telemedicine simply refers to doctors treating patients remotely instead of face-to-face. It may entail the use of videoconferencing, especially if the doctor needs to inspect the symptoms. Asynchronous telemedicine is also a popular practice that involves using messaging platforms such as email. This is ideal for discussing symptoms and ongoing monitoring that does not require real-time communication. According to experts, 80 to 90% of conditions patients visit the doctor for can be diagnosed and prescribed remotely. This means over half the traffic can be served without the need to show up at a physical premise. Telemedicine makes it effortless to schedule online appointments and provide medical services from anywhere in the world. All you need is an internet connection. Telemedicine can leverage video chats and online messaging to provide comprehensive, 24/7 healthcare.
Benefits of telemedicine
Several organizations do not follow the traditional health insurance model. For most people who lack the resources to see a doctor in person. Maybe you are going to school, work long hours beyond regular business hours, or have no transportation to reach your doctor. Telemedicine is also appealing for those without insurance, which is roughly 27.5 million Americans and also features low out-of-pocket-costs. What’s more, this option can help ease out the traffic and long waiting hours in doctor offices. With digital healthcare apps, telemedicine can quickly improve organization, outpatient monitoring and recordkeeping.