Virtual care, telemedicine, and remote visits
Medical services across the United States look to overcome hurdles in unique ways, given that they’re often overwhelmed with demands across the board. Given a lack of infrastructural change, it’s no surprise the industry looks for “the next best thing,” and it’s also no surprise this comes in the form of telemedicine.
Telemedicine, mobile doctors, and virtual care are looking to become the go-to for doctors and patients entering the 2023 year and beyond. And it’s easy to see why: thanks largely in part to the COVID pandemic, hospitals, practices, and specialists are filled with delayed schedules and limited time. Furthermore, the rising costs of everything make it harder to routinely see caregivers the traditional way. Factors like chronic conditions – some caused by COVID complications – along with physical distance also mean patients are eager for ways to easily see doctors for routine appointments.
While telehealth and virtual care don’t see the same level of use when COVID was in full force, it’s become a mainstay in the medical industry for convenience and economic reasons. More so, the years forward promises to bring in big names for retail-focused healthcare, virtual or otherwise. Whether Amazon or Walmart offering services is a good thing for long-term health remains to be seen, but they’re eager to take advantage of the lag in traditional medicine.
Benefits for both doctors and patients
We’ve routinely discussed the unfortunate circumstances healthcare practitioners find themselves in. Often overwhelmed because of staff shortages, burnout, long hours, and delayed care, medical professionals need every resource possible at their disposal. And while virtualized care may not initially sound like a relief to overwhelmed systems, it can offer resources and advantages not part of traditional care.
It works for both primary and short visits, too. Current services, for example, allow patients to order short-term prescriptions through telehealth at vastly reduced prices than say, a regular visit with their doctor. That’s especially the case for potentially uninsured patients. But in other cases, patients can see their primary caregivers through virtual options too.
That’s nothing to say about aiding patients from anywhere to anywhere. A doctor can physically attend to their patients from one location, such as their practice or hospital, and on the same day assist a set of patients on the opposite side of the country, thanks to virtual options. That doesn’t mean telemedicine is perfect or without its flaws, given the rapid adoption of such methods and technology is still juvenile. But it can’t be denied that it’s providing an agile, comfortable way for patients to see caregivers in an effective manner.
Will it work for your practice?
All this sounds great on paper – the ability to quickly serve a patient base from virtually anywhere, anytime. Nuance is all for accessibility with the use of our dictation software, so naturally, we understand why telemedicine is an attractive option. A better question, though, is whether telemedicine and virtual care options can work for your practice. After all, it’s a fairly new infrastructure that’s seen widespread adoption, but primarily because of the Coronavirus pandemic.
That means setting up resources and infrastructure for virtual care and telemedicine may not be the right fit for your practice. Just as well, it could seamlessly integrate into your care model, and trends point to “sooner” rather than later.
Consider that, as a growing trend, the market for telehealth will expand, crowding potential options for patients who may prefer major retail carriers. Smaller practices could find themselves losing out on valuable time with said patients, who may prefer virtual care over traditional options. Therefore, foregoing the adoption of some form of virtual care could leave you in a difficult position, making it that much harder to enter the telemedicine field.
As we discussed in our trends article, there’s a clear direction toward remote wearables on monitoring devices as well. The emphasis is clear: mobility and agility. Virtual telecare will no doubt intertwine with these expanding technologies with early adopters setting the pace. That isn’t to suggest you should make rush decisions based on what might happen, but they are real considerations for the future.
Where does Dragon Mobile fit in the picture?
We’re all about reliable, accessible tools that reduce time spent on paperwork and create an efficient workflow. That’s why dictation software providing precise accuracy can integrate seamlessly with virtual care options, especially when both save time and money.
First, consider that dictation software works perfectly with telehealth and virtual meets, whether for patient care or business calls. Dictation is still recording in a document space of your choice, recording patient concerns as you would with traditional visits. Mobile care also allows doctors to assist patients from anywhere – not just the office. And, Dragon Medical One isn’t limited or required to operate in a purely medical setting, you can dictate wherever, just as you would with a virtual visit. In other words, however you adapt to telehealth, Nuance’s dictation software fits into any scenario.
You should also consider the flexibility of telehealth. Depending on how they choose to treat patients, doctors can provide care from virtually anywhere, and that means they’ll have the space to set up for dictation without concern of distraction or background noise. In other words, with the proper setup, there’s no downside to using dictation software in a telemedicine environment.
Adopt or not
The question at large is whether your practice should adopt some measure of telehealth. All signs point to the expanding future of virtual care, but it’s not the right fit for every practice. However, if you elect to integrate telemedicine into your service model, Dragon Medical One is ready to help.
