| COVID-19 has forced us to delve into new ways to provide healthcare services to patients. Telemedicine has been around for ages but only recently became necessary due to the constant need for social distancing in 2020. Physicians find that they can now successfully rely on technology to communicate with their patients about non-emergency health issues and follow-ups. However, telemedicine will not die off when Covid does. There are a few good reasons as to why telemedicine would and should survive after the pandemic. Below I will be sharing five insightful reasons as to why telemedicine is here to stay. 1. Patient Demand: Patients love the convenience of doing virtual consultations with their medical practitioners. It saves the doctor and the patient a lot more time and prevents them from using their energy to come in for a face to face consultation. The American Journal of Managed Care conducted a study where they deduced that telemedicine, by far, has become one of the most preferred methods for patients to have medical consultations with their doctors. 2. Convenience and Flexibility: Patients love telemedicine because of the convenience and flexibility that it has to offer. Patients can consult with their doctors anywhere, from their home’s comfort to even in the office during lunch hour. In turn, patients will save themselves a lot of time from traveling and taking sick leave from work. Telemedicine will also help doctors take their time with patients as they will not have a waiting room filled with walk-in patients waiting to be seen. 3. Technology Continues to Improve: Technology is growing and improving with each day, which only means that telemedicine is only going to get better and more convenient in the future, especially with regards to remote work. This will result in more efficient clinical feedback from doctors, which will increase the overall functionality of the medical industry. 4. Insurance Reimbursement: Insurance companies will have to adapt to the changes that telemedicine has to offer, such as more virtual appointments and fewer physical consultations. Some of these changes require insurance companies to make reimbursements as well. Healthcare organizations will have to cater to patients living in rural areas without access to primary healthcare or even just people who prefer to do things virtually. 5. Health Equity: Not everyone has access to good healthcare services. Individual patients who live in rural areas but have smartphones will also access healthcare services now by the tap of a button on their smartphones. Access to smartphones helps eliminate inequality amongst underprivileged people of color and other privileged people globally, as everyone will somewhat have access to virtual healthcare services now. |
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