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These days, if you’re hopping on a Zoom call, reading the news, or scrolling social media, you’d be hard-pressed to avoid the question of what’s going to happen when this is all over?
This, of course, referring to the pandemic. And the answer? Well, for the most part, who knows! But, thanks to human resilience and ingenuity, some innovations brought about during the pandemic are here to stay. No, we aren’t talking about sourdough bread and puzzles — we’re talking about software development solutions for telehealth technology.
Many healthcare providers had already begun using some sort of telehealth technology before the pandemic. However, by the time 2020 rolled around, the practitioners who hadn’t already integrated this technology were quickly forced to find an advanced telehealth solution to continue providing quality care from afar.
Telehealth technologies enable doctors, dentists, therapists, and specialists to treat, diagnose, educate, and monitor patients around the world. And this isn’t going to change anytime soon — a whopping 83% of patients expect to continue using telehealth services once the pandemic is over.
Take a look at 4 of the many reasons why telehealth technology is here to stay (and why healthcare providers should be excited about it!):
1) Telehealth technology makes quality healthcare more accessible to all.
Before we had telehealth options, patients often had to choose a doctor solely by proximity. Now, with the ease of virtual appointments, patients can select a healthcare provider that is best for their needs, no matter where they are located. Thanks to the advent of medical software development, anyone can access quality telehealth applications with a cell phone, desktop, or tablet to communicate in real-time with their doctor.
. This means you can rapidly reach more patients and offer them a smoother experience, which brings us to point number 2!
2) Telehealth technology allows healthcare providers to run their practices more efficiently (and more securely).
Gone are the days of no-shows, last-minute cancelations, or payment issues messing up your whole schedule. Advanced telehealth technology makes running a practice smoother and more secure:
- Scheduling can be done with a few clicks.
- All patient information and communication can be secure through the right systems.
- Payment solutions can be integrated into your current EMR/EHR system.
- Insurance requests and reimbursements can be automated.
- HIPAA-compliant medical solutions can help you keep sensitive patient data secure.
Good telehealth technology is designed to benefit patients and physicians alike.
3) Telehealth solutions make physicians and patients safer!
The advent of telehealth has prevented an unimaginable number of COVID-19 infections by simply allowing for remote medical consultations. Safe, contactless appointments don’t just reduce patient and staff exposure to COVID-19, they also allow those with mobility issues or chronic illness to avoid needing to go into a hospital to be seen. Also, the telehealth protocols that we now have in place will help us navigate many other medical emergencies we confront down the road.
4) Healthcare providers can offer better continual care.
Complete telehealth solutions help specialists provide accurate and streamlined chronic care so that:
- All types of conditions can be monitored in real-time from afar with technology like wearable medical devices.
- Patients can log their symptoms into telehealth apps and instantly share their results with doctors.
- Physicians can review imaging scans, test results, and medical photos remotely.
The benefits of telehealth technology far outweigh the challenges; however, obstacles like patient data privacy, automated payments, patient retention, and digital literacy do exist. To confront these challenges, you need a technology partner with skills ranging from big data to UX design to data security and beyond.
When partnering with a third-party software developer to create a telehealth solution or a health app, focus on companies with HIPAA compliance and patient data security expertise and with a scalable structure. Your application should be easy to use and convenient for practitioners and patients while saving users time and money.
Scopic has decades of experience building telehealth solutions and providing EHR software development services that propel virtual care even further forward.
