Telehealth means using technology like video calls and phone calls to give healthcare when patients cannot visit in person. It includes video chats, phone talks, messages, wearable devices that check health, and mobile health apps. Telehealth helps people who have trouble going to a doctor, such as those living in rural areas, older adults, or those without easy transport.
The American Telemedicine Association says telehealth has helped people who live far away or have fewer health options. It has been used safely for over 30 years, helping manage ongoing illnesses without needing frequent trips to clinics.
Studies show that health systems using telehealth work better and save money. Patients spend less time and money traveling. Doctors can see more patients since they don’t need physical rooms for every visit. Sometimes, telehealth care matches or even beats in-person care, especially in mental health and intensive care.
Researchers have compared telehealth visits with in-person doctor visits in many areas. One key area is heart care because many people have heart problems that need careful management.
At Pearsall Heart Hospital, a study looked at phone heart doctor visits versus in-person visits before COVID-19 changed many doctor visit habits. Doctors chose 157 patients who could have phone visits. Out of these, 100 patients (about 64%) completed their phone talk with the doctor.
Patients called because of chest pain (17 people), unusual heart tests (14 people), and heart palpitations (10 people). The test results between phone and in-person patients were about the same. For example, heart ultrasound tests happened in 21% of phone patients and 34% of clinic patients, which is not a big difference. Hospital stays and emergency visits within 30 days of the visit were also similar. Both groups had a low number of serious heart problems or deaths after six months.
This shows phone heart visits can work as well as in-person visits. The biggest problem was not reaching some patients by phone at work hours, which means better scheduling might help. Most patients accepted phone visits; less than 6% said no.
This is useful for health managers. Offering phone visits as first or follow-up options can improve access, especially for people in rural or less served areas.
Telehealth has also been tested for checking patients before surgery. A large study with 1,550 bariatric surgery patients looked at a new way to decide who needed to come in person before surgery. This method used nurses calling patients and computer programs to help decide if an in-person visit was needed.
This new process lowered the number of in-person visits by 80% without causing surgery delays, cancellations, or extra tests on surgery day. Costs did not go up compared to the old way. Nurses, guided by step-by-step rules, could recommend remote monitoring, order tests, or schedule in-person visits when needed.
This shows telehealth, combined with good planning, can make care outside the hospital more efficient without hurting patient safety or surgery results. Hospital leaders can use this to better use their space and staff while keeping quality and patient approval.
When looking at telehealth, quality of care is very important. Many studies say telehealth results match in-person care. Care done online or by phone is not lower in quality.
Patients save time and money by traveling less. This is especially helpful for people living far from big clinics or who have trouble moving. Surveys over 15 years show people like telehealth because it is easy and they get care faster. Less travel means less stress and lower costs. These points are very important for people who need ongoing care or preventive checkups.
Doctors and clinic leaders should know that telehealth can still include needed tests and follow-ups. For example, heart phone visits included proper testing. Surgical telehealth checks did not increase surgery delays or cancellations, which means care quality stayed good.
The government, through CMS, now pays for telehealth visits, even phone-only ones. This support helps doctors keep telehealth programs going and serve more patients.
New technology like artificial intelligence (AI) and automation is also helping telehealth. These tools improve care, reduce paperwork, and make work faster.
AI can quickly study large amounts of patient data. It helps doctors spot early signs of sickness, keep track of ongoing health problems, and customize treatments. In telehealth, AI can watch patients’ vital signs shared by remote devices, alert doctors to urgent problems, and suggest tests or treatments. This is important in heart care, where fast action helps results.
AI programs trained with lots of data can notice disease trends, track health changes, and help manage patients from afar. They can also predict which patients might have complications and prompt care providers to check on them sooner.
AI combined with automation helps handle tasks needed in telehealth. Automatic appointment booking, reminders, and phone bots reduce time spent on regular calls. Nurse calls using step-by-step decision tools, like in the surgery study, show how automation can guide care safely and quickly.
For clinic managers and IT staff, using AI tools can free workers from repetitive jobs. This lets them spend more time with patients. Automation also helps collect and record data on time, which improves accuracy and follows rules.
Some companies, like Simbo AI, focus on using AI to manage front-office phone work. These systems handle booking, cancellations, and patient questions. This keeps communication smooth without needing many human workers. It lowers the chance of dropped calls and booking errors, which is important for telehealth programs needing good scheduling.
By using AI in patient communication, healthcare providers can keep care quality high while saving costs and staff effort. This helps telehealth grow without lowering quality.
When bringing telehealth into doctor offices, leaders should keep these points in mind to get good results:
For doctors, clinics, and IT staff in the U.S., telehealth is a useful and effective addition to traditional visits. They should use the growing research and new technology to create telehealth programs that keep care quality, reach more patients, and use resources well.
By carefully adding telehealth with AI and automation tools, U.S. healthcare providers can meet patient needs while managing workloads well. This helps improve ongoing care and prepares organizations for a future where digital health is more common.
Telehealth refers to the use of technology to connect patients and healthcare providers when in-person visits are not feasible, allowing for consultations, diagnosis, and treatment remotely.
Telehealth enhances access by reaching underserved populations, including those in rural areas and individuals with mobility challenges, ensuring they receive safe and effective healthcare.
Common approaches include virtual visits, chat-based interactions, and remote patient monitoring, which employ various technologies for effective communication and care.
Telehealth lowers costs by improving chronic disease management, reducing travel time for patients, and minimizing hospital admissions, thereby enhancing efficiency.
Remote patient monitoring involves collecting and transmitting health data from patients, such as vital signs, to healthcare providers, enabling ongoing management of conditions.
AI enhances telehealth through improved disease surveillance, early detection, and support for personalized medicine by analyzing patient data effectively.
Research indicates that telehealth services deliver quality comparable to in-person consultations, with some areas, like mental health, showing even better outcomes.
Consumer demand is driven by convenience, reduced travel stress, and access to a wider range of healthcare providers and services, fostering higher satisfaction.
Telehealth relies on technologies like video conferencing, mobile apps, wearable devices, and AI-driven algorithms for diagnosis and monitoring.
Telehealth supports older adults by allowing them to access regular healthcare appointments remotely, helping them ‘age-in-place’ safely and effectively.
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