Almost 85% of the American population had contact with a healthcare professional in the last 12 months. That’s a staggering 260 million people.
Think about that volume of people who need medical care. Then, couple that number with the staggering $28,000 dollars per year the average family spends on that care.
When you do, big a problem becomes apparent…
The healthcare system in America is spread thin. It’s consequently expensive, which could lead to a situation where access to quality care becomes hard.
Therein lies just a portion of the value “telehealth” or “telemedicine” has brought to the healthcare marketplace. For the uninitiated, telemedicine is a term used to describe when a patient receives healthcare services from a provider through technology as opposed to having to meet a healthcare professional in person. Below, our team outlines just a few of the important benefits healthcare workers are seeing telehealth bring.
Improved Patient Outcomes
The purpose of medicine is to help people live their fullest lives. As it turns out, telemedicine helps providers achieve that outcome with more success.
Through telemedicine, people are able to more easily get in touch with a care provider. Because of this, patients are more willing to book earlier appointments with doctors when experiencing complications. This has led to a quicker diagnosis of serious issues and has improved mortality rates.
Increased Access To Quality Health Services
In many parts of the country, getting access to good health care requires travel. The expense involved in traveling can lead to giving up on the seeking treatment.
Now, with the increased adoption of telemedicine, patients are able to get seen by a remote specialist from their home or at their local hospital. This ease of access means more people getting examined by the best medical professionals available.
Reduced Costs of Getting Treatment
One of the biggest issues in the healthcare market today is ballooning costs. Telemedicine allows a patient to mitigate that cost trend.
Patients can get monitored at home, reducing the need for hospital visits. Telemedicine also reduces the need to get transferred from a local hospital to a remote location where a specialist works.
Finally, a patient can get ahead of their illness through telemedicine. That means getting treatment for conditions in early stages as opposed to costly late stages.
Environmental Protection
Most people don’t consider the environment when they think about telehealth. The truth is though, given the volume of patients that need to undergo hospital to hospital transfers, reducing that practice can significantly reduce a medical provider’s carbon footprint.
Imagine if thousands of people no longer required needing to get driven or airlifted to neighboring cities and states as a result of their medical conditions?
The amount of fuel and energy that would be saved on an annual basis would be astronomical.
It Keeps Healthcare Workers Working
There are a lot of reasons why a doctor working with a healthcare organization may not be able to come to work. Through telemedicine, however, distance no longer means absence.
A doctor can see his/her patients remotely, no matter their location. Even when on vacation, if an emergency were to arise, a doctor would be able to diagnose and instruct proper treatment for an individual who is in dire need of care.
That kind of flexibility allows organizations to provide better care to their patients. It also allows doctors to enjoy better work-life balance since they don’t need to look at being away from work as a situation that could have dire consequences on the people they treat.
It Allows The Spreading of Knowledge
In a perfect world, every doctor’s office and hospital would be able to manage any healthcare situation that arose on its premises. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
Most medical specialists reside in larger markets. That increases the need for patient transfers.
Also, many doctors working out of rural clinics who want to extend their education don’t have access to the resources they need to do that.
Telemedicine remedies that problem.
Through technology, rural healthcare workers can receive training from specialists. That allows them to extend the services they can offer locally.
What if receiving an in-depth education on a particular medical specialty is not achievable via telehealth?
Even so, local healthcare workers still have the ability to consult with specialists on a case-by-case basis. That by itself can substantially increase the care provided by rural clinics.
This spreading of healthcare knowledge is leading us to a brighter future. A future where people don’t have to worry about where they live being a hindrance to their health. People can know that no matter how removed they are from populous areas, a specialist will, at worst, only be a video call away.
Wrapping Up The Importance of Telemedicine
The importance of telemedicine cannot be understated in an America that’s becoming more populous.
The good news is that telemedicine is starting to pick up steam in many organizations. As adoption increases, so to will the technology that surrounds telecommunication and medicine.
The future of medicine is bright. But it could be even brighter if people like you started pursuing a career in healthcare.
Every year, thousands of people upgrade their lives by pursuing an education in medicine. Thousands more want to follow in their footsteps but are not sure where to start.
Are you one of those people? Are you interested in using your creativity and intelligence to better the lives of others? If so learn more about degree programs that can start you on your educational journey!
