In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine continues to grow and change rapidly. New guidelines are in place for the implementation and use of this technology in India. How well is your organization meeting them, and what role will telemedicine have in your digital transformation strategy?
As the global pandemic continues to reshape healthcare and present uncertainties, one thing is for sure: telemedicine is here to stay
In a recent market research report, the global telehealth market was valued at USD 61.40 billion in 2019 and projected to reach USD 559.52 billion by 2027
Hospitals and practices are rapidly adopting teleconsultation and remote monitoring services in order to meet the continuum of patient care, to improve communication and better outcomes with social distancing guidelines. Very few patients are visiting hospitals, they want to get treated in the comfort of their home and remain physically distant from the rest of the world, telemedicine allows them to be connected & treated. To meet demands in an increasingly digital world, hospitals and physicians will need to think beyond traditional EHRs and consider telemedicine solutions that will digitally transform their practice.
Until recently, India did not have official guidelines in place to address the growing field of telemedicine. In March 2020, the Ministry of Health partnered with NITI Aayog to develop and publish guidelines for the use and integration of telemedicine to support patient care. CEOs and CIOs now must be selective in choosing which telemedicine software to implement, to ensure new guidelines are being met.
DocEngage offers telemedicine software that will help your hospital or clinic exceed expectations, drive revenue, and boost patient engagement. And we implemeted the govt. guidelines in all possible aspects.
Here are 4 ways DocEngage will digitally transform your healthcare organization
1. Multiple Sources of Data
Telemedicine is available in the format of video, audio, text, or any combination of the three. It also offers multiple types of care:
- Synchronous care
Live, virtual transfer of information between patient and provider e.g live chat or video conference or audio call - Asynchronous care
Review of stored data, such as patient communications such as pre-consultation assessment documents, medical records through text or email and respond at a later time by a chat or email - Remote patient monitoring
Biomedical data gathered through patient monitoring devices
In traditional office visits, patients may forget to report certain earlier diagnosis, document of medical history, or may forget to ask questions at the spot in that 30mts or 45mts. Telemedicine allows for multiple sources of data to connect outside a standard appointment, creating a more comprehensive understanding of the patient and their needs by constant inflow of information.
In DocEngage telemedicine software, patients can send the documents offline at their convenient time and it will be automatically updated in their EMR. DocEngage telemedicine software offers solutions that address a broad spectrum of patient needs, from simple consults to ICU monitoring. A combination of video, audio, and text or remote device monitoring data allows providers to leverage the benefits of synchronous and asynchronous care in addition to remote patient monitoring. With this technology, DocEngage’s telemedicine platform may be used in nearly any patient situation, including referring patients to hospital in emergency situations.
2. Simplified Workflows for Physicians
Scheduling and communicating & treating patients are functions no longer required to use multiple sources like paperwork, phone calls, or using dis-integrated multiple software. Telemedicine software, like the solutions offered by DocEngage, allows patients to book their own appointments and easily access their own records using appt booking on the website and also PHR(patient app). Requests for prescriptions or refills can be easily managed electronically by the physician. Other tasks are also simplified by the use of telemedicine software:
- Pre-consultation patient assessments
- Writing notes
- Sending prescription
- Ordering labs and viewing results
- Analyzing patient outcomes
- Collecting payments
- Monitoring hospitalized patients in real-time ( by device integrations)
- and many more…
3. Secure and Comprehensive Exchange of Information
Perhaps the most critical of the new telemedicine guidelines: securely gathering and storing patient evaluation information. All items related to a patient evaluation are stored safely and in HIPAA compliance with DocEngage Telemedicine and its integrated EHR: history; examination; lab results; and imaging reports are all easily available. Information gathered through conversation during a telemedicine consult is also captured, as DocEngage keeps a record of each teleconsultation. Having such comprehensive information available, providers are able to confidently diagnose and treat patients remotely or determine if an in-person consultation is more suitable.
With healthcare data breaches becoming more common in recent years, patients are becoming more savvy consumers with an awareness of privacy rules. Patients will have the leisure of shopping for which providers are guaranteed to provide the highest quality care and most modern services.
4. Improved Collaboration and Patient Management
When EHRs first emerged, they presented a solution to linking disparate sources of health information. Data from office visits, hospital admissions, and specialty consults could be reviewed on-demand electronically. Telemedicine is the next evolution of digital healthcare. It incorporates the functions of a standard EHR with the ability to actively collaborate with the patient, their family doctor, and specialists. A virtual team-based approach is possible with the synchronous and asynchronous exchange of information that telemedicine offers.
Patient management, health education, counseling, and prescribing medication are all addressed by the new guidelines and are all a breeze with DocEngage. Physicians may utilize telemedicine to provide health promotion and disease prevention education related to diet, exercise, smoking cessation, and more. Counseling may also be provided via teleconsults related to specific conditions or medications.
In addition to those uses, patient management with DocEngage goes beyond education, counseling, and prescribing. Text reminders can be sent before appointments to reduce no-shows, medication reminders can be sent via text or email to promote adherence, and patients can self-schedule electronically. The patient app also allows users to monitor their own health and access their own medical records.
By streamlining and digitizing workflows, telemedicine allows physicians to spend more time doing what they have trained to do: care for patients. Hospitals and practices that wish to remain innovative, competitive, and leaders in quality care will undoubtedly need to adapt and develop telemedicine as part of their digital strategy. When geographical location is removed as a barrier to care, patients are no longer confined to hospitals or clinics closest to them. Allow DocEngage to take your organization to the next level and connect with countless patients who were previously unreachable.
DocEngage Telemedicine with Embedded EHR: https://www.docengage.in/telemedicine-software
Request for a demo: https://www.docengage.in/requestfordemo
4 Ways Telemedicine Will Digitally Transform Your Practice was originally published in DocEngage on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
