Telehealth, or the expansion of healthcare service by means of telecommunication (or ubiquitously “remote or virtual care”) is becoming more popular as patients are beginning to realize the value of on-demand care. In fact in a recent Cisco Global Survey, they found that 74% of patients prefer Telehealth healthcare services to in-person interactions with providers.
Telehealth can be accessed on a broad spectrum of technologies, but the easiest and most common way of utilizing it is through an app or smartphone device. Services include medical diagnosis, treatment and prescriptions, as well as, health and educational components, to offer a wide variety of care to patients anywhere, anytime.
According to the AMA, 70% of healthcare visits could be done virtually. Below are some advantages of Telehealth:
1. Enhanced convenience and access to patient care – By utilizing telehealth, healthcare can be accessed anywhere, at any time. Patients are not limited to office hours or to appointment times for care, so there is no waiting.
2. Cost Savings – Telehealth significantly reduces healthcare service costs – saving patients, providers, and insurance companies money. Telemedicine also reduces unnecessary ER visits and eliminates transportation expenses for regular visits and checkups.
3. Extended Access to Physicians and Specialists – With telehealth, patients do not need to endure a long commute to get care from a physician/specialist.
4. Increased Patient Satisfaction – Patients that have the ability to skip the waiting room and address healthcare issues quickly with physicians in real-time are better satisfied with their care, and often receive treatment quicker.
At MBL Benefits we provide our clients with access to a number of virtual healthcare tools. A couple of our favorites are Healthiest You and One Medical’s Virtual Care. For more information on these programs or to get started with one please contact our team.
