Telehealth’s importance to the healthcare industry was highlighted recently when the current administration’s 2024 budget allocated approximately $45 million for telehealth. With telehealth becoming a widely accepted care delivery method, it can be expected that it will offer the most efficient means of care in today’s busy world.
Healthcare practices should plan to use telehealth in 2024 and beyond for many reasons, as it offers numerous benefits for both healthcare providers and patients. Here, we will explore these advantages and consider the key considerations when implementing telehealth in your practice.
The Benefits of Telehealth for Providers and Patients
Telehealth has revolutionized healthcare by providing various benefits for healthcare providers and patients, including:
Increased Access & Decreased Spending
Telehealth also provides a convenient option for patients with mobility issues, busy schedules, or other constraints that make in-person visits challenging. They can now consult with healthcare providers from wherever they prefer, thus ensuring continuity of care regardless of the patient’s circumstances. Telehealth has also reduced healthcare costs for both patients and healthcare providers. Patients can save on travel and related expenses, while healthcare practices can reduce administrative costs associated with in-person visits.
Faster Response to Emergencies
By enabling quick triage and consultations, telehealth helps to determine if patients need in-person care. This can reduce healthcare system strain as it prevents unnecessary emergency room visits. Additionally, in emergencies or natural disasters, telehealth can be a vital lifeline for both patients and healthcare providers. It allows for remote consultations and medical guidance, ensuring timely access to care even in the most challenging situations.
Increased Patient Engagement
With telehealth platforms, patients can easily stay in touch with their healthcare providers, thanks to the availability of features like scheduling and appointment reminders, secure messaging, and access to medical records. All these features help create an environment of more robust engagement, ultimately leading to better patient health outcomes. By fostering relationships between medical professionals and their patients, telehealth sessions allow healthcare providers to give more effective and personalized care.
Allocating a Budget for a New Telehealth Service Provider
When considering implementing telehealth in your practice, it is essential to allocate a budget for a new telehealth service provider. However, before doing so, it is crucial to evaluate the practice’s needs and goals associated with telehealth. Understanding the types of services the practice will offer virtually, along with the potential revenue associated with each, will lend perspective to the cost.
Next, the practice should explore the cost associated with these aspects of virtual care:
- The hardware/equipment that will be needed for staff
- The licensing costs of telehealth software
- Any personnel costs related to training and ongoing education, support, or compliance
- Marketing expenses to inform patients about the new mode of care delivery
When integrating a new telehealth service provider, it is essential to consider all potential costs beyond just the provider’s fees. One significant factor to keep in mind is the integration of the telehealth software with your existing electronic health records (EHR). This may require additional expenses for tech support or consultation services. Furthermore, virtual on-demand care may require additional staffing, which can increase overhead costs.
For this reason, careful budgeting and planning are integral to the long-term success of your telehealth program. By evaluating and understanding all potential costs, you can better prepare for the budget implications and have a clearer picture of the true costs of implementing a telehealth service provider.
Considerations for Implementing Telehealth at Your Practice
When presenting the idea of telehealth to your managers and leaders, it is crucial to educate them on the types of services your practice may offer via telehealth. This will help them understand the benefits that offering these services via telehealth would offer both your fellow clinicians and staff and your patients. Specifically, describe how telehealth would result in time efficiencies, convenience, cost savings, revenue potential, etc. It is also essential to offer to be a part of the planning and implementation process, thereby making your clinical point of view apparent.
Be a telehealth champion among your fellow staff members and share feedback from patients who are requesting telehealth as an option. Though not all medical situations are suitable for telehealth, healthcare practices that plan and allocate a budget for telehealth will reap numerous benefits for healthcare providers and patients.
Why Choose SecureVideo as Your Telehealth Service Provider?
SecureVideo offers a comprehensive solution tailored to integrate HIPAA compliant telehealth into your practice seamlessly. Our advanced telehealth platform is built to meet the specific needs of healthcare providers, ensuring security, efficiency, and a user-friendly experience. Embrace the future of healthcare with SecureVideo and offer your patients the convenience they need, with the quality care they deserve. Ready to explore the benefits of our telehealth solutions? Contact us today to schedule a demo.