Lot many providers have this question in their minds about whether remote consultation is here to stay
even after the COVID-19 pandemic. Providers who haven’t adopted telemedicine software yet are
perplexed about whether to invest in it or not. This article highlights the current scenario and the future of
telehealth with research evidence so that you’ll have more clarity and take the right decision.
What’s the current scenario?
As the COVID-19 virus is extremely infectious and transmissible, people across the country are being
asked to remain at home if possible. Hence, both patients and providers are opting for telehealth services
to avoid direct visits or public transportation, and the demand for telemedicine software is skyrocketing
across the U.S.
With telemedicine software in place, providers don’t have to shut down their practice. Many of the
consultations were rescheduled for remote consultations without ignoring the quality of care.
The 2020 McKinsey & Co. report highlighted a significant increase in virtual visits including medical and
behavioral health by 50 to 175 times compared to the pre-COVID-19 period.
Another 2020 research study published in the Journal of the American Informatics Association revealed
that online urgent care visits grew by 683% and online non-urgent care visits grew by 4,345% at NYU
Langone Health.
Before the pandemic, providers were reluctant to adopt telemedicine in their practice as they were
reimbursed at a lesser rate for virtual visits than direct visits.
Looking at this remarkable rise in demand for telemedicine software, even the federal government is easing
restrictions on telehealth reimbursements. Even the legislators were also opting for ways to increase
internet access so that patients can access telehealth services easily.
Is Telemedicine here to stay even after the COVID-19 pandemic?
Yes. Both patients and providers have discovered the benefits of telemedicine software. They don’t have to
spend on transportation costs or deep cleaning for direct consultation.
As mentioned already, providers are getting reimbursed at the same rate for online visits as they would for
direct visits according to the 2022 reimbursement policies. So they don’t have to experience stress and
burnout issues due to increased workload and paperwork. Providers can effectively manage their
appointments, deliver high-quality care, and improve patient satisfaction scores.
Similarly, patients don’t have to skip their work and lose their daily wages for office visits. Even the
patients from rural areas will have access to high-quality care anywhere, anytime without worrying about
long wait times. Simply put, distance and lack of transportation will no longer be the limitations for patients
to get timely access to care.
Patients will take online appointments, consult experienced providers, get e-prescriptions, and refill
prescriptions without leaving the comfort of their homes or workplaces.
Unlike direct visits, providers can retain their already existing patients and get more new patients with
telemedicine.
Thanks to the convenience of telemedicine software, both patients and providers can opt for remote care,
thereby saving money, time, and lives.
Since both providers and patients adopt telehealth across the U.S., there is a massive transformation in
the U.S. healthcare system. As a result, they will not go back to the pre-COVID-19 condition.
Are you ready to opt for telemedicine software development in your practice?
Due to the massive ongoing healthcare transformation, it’s time to optimize your care delivery to sustain
your practice if not done already. Start embracing telemedicine service to enhance convenient coordinated
healthcare.
To improve the staying power of your facility and stay competitive in the healthcare sector, create a
patient-centric approach with telehealth to improve patient retention and attraction. Your patients should
be able to collaborate with physicians in real-time without leaving the comfort of their homes. For that,
your telemedicine software should be secure and easily adaptable for video consultation.
Key Takeaway
It’s quite clear that telehealth is here to stay even after the pandemic. Hence, start capitalizing on this drift
without getting left behind.
Avoid complicated interfaces and redundant processes that can delay care. Make sure to use efficient and
easy-to-use telemedicine software to see more patients in lesser time without any hassles.
Reach out to HealthSoul today for your telemedicine software development. HealthSoul, the right partner
for telemedicine software development, offers a personalized secure telemedicine platform for high-quality
video consultation without any need for downloads. Furthermore, this telemedicine software adapts easily
according to any device.