Embracing Digital – The Key to Healthcare in a COVID World

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Embracing Digital – The Key to Healthcare in a COVID World

The Covid-19 global pandemic has had a dramatic impact on how people interact. From the family group to employers of all sizes, adjusting to this new paradigm has meant new limitations, both on what we can do as individuals and on the need to frequently embrace technology to moving forward.

This includes healthcare provision, and while just last year telemedicine may have been available but relatively unused, today it stands as an essential aspect of the interaction between clinics, healthcare providers, and patients. As Covid-19 swept across the world, the rapid and massive adoption of telemedicine has allowed providers to continue giving medical care to those isolating in their own homes.

While all stakeholders quickly learned to adapt to this, systems set up as temporary solutions may now need to become a significant component of all healthcare provisions moving forward. There are clear signs that rather than a solution to a specific problem, telemedicine will be a mainstream treatment option moving forward in a post-Covid world. However, to be a source for permanent healthcare provision, telemedicine needs to be more than HIPAA-compliant video conferencing software. It needs to be an integrated system that promotes trust and improves patient outcomes, and that requires a digital strategy.

To learn more about how telemedicine and top-rated patient experience can be implemented through our software solutions, give us a call at 800.831.9419 Ext. 0230 or contact us online today!

Understanding the Patient Experience

Creating a complete telemedicine solution requires more than the practical software that enables remote interaction. How patients make appointments, receive information, are billed, and pay ― all of these things need to work seamlessly together to create the right patient experience. More than that, the behind-the-scenes management that a patient never sees or experiences matters, too. Your practice management software may include insurance checks for eligibility, appointment reminders via email or text, and so on, and these directly impact that patient experience.

Telemedicine includes a broad range of processes, and ensuring that each one operates effectively for the patient is key to refining the experience. The problem is that it is very easy to get caught up in the process without fully understanding the impact on patients. For this reason, testing is crucial.

Once you have your telemedicine portal in place, test the system from start to finish. This includes everything from scheduling an appointment to billing, payment, and post-visit contact. The tester should experience everything from the patient’s perspective, and for this reason, if you can find someone who has no experience of the system to perform the tests, you will obtain superior feedback.

The tester should make notes for each stage of the process, indicating anything they struggled with, areas that were unclear or confusing, and so on. If a patient is struggling in the digital space, you may lose them without ever addressing the problem. The process needs to be seamless, both for that reason and to ensure that each patient is comfortable with their healthcare.

Let us help you provide your patients with unmatched care and efficient telehealth practices by calling 800.831.9419 Ext. 0230 or contacting us online today.

Telemedicine is Digital, Patients Are Not

Creating a system that is easy for patients to use gives them confidence in this new approach to their healthcare, which is vital in producing the best outcomes. However, there is another issue that causes problems for patients receiving telemedicine: Digital communications are, by their nature, impersonal. The digital world itself can be sterile, and it is important that we never forget that patients are still human, even when dealing with them through a digital medium.

The software and tools that enable effective telemedicine implementation allow us to be more productive, they provide a platform for interaction for people in different locations, and they allow automated scheduling and reminders to keep patients informed. But we must remember that a key component of medical care is the human aspect: the care that reassures and supports patients who may be struggling. Telemedicine must never become just those tools and software packages; it must also retain the human aspect that connects provider and patient.

Bringing Humanity to the Digital Space

Maintaining a human connection, especially through the direct interaction with the patient but also from staff with a friendly follow-up call, is an integral aspect of telemedicine success. It can be easy to slip into the digital mindset when digital is surrounding you constantly. By making a conscious effort to maintain a human focus within the digital system, you provide a more rounded approach that patients will welcome.

Avoiding the potential pitfalls of telemedicine will need to be a collective effort. However, with appropriate tools, from scheduling to billing, along with a team that delivers beyond the digital space for your telemedicine patients, you can feel confident embracing the digital while providing the human-focused care that puts you ahead of the competition.

If you’d like to learn more about Healthpac’s leading-edge EHR software and solutions, call our team at 800.831.9419 Ext. 0230 or contact us online today. Our knowledgeable team is standing by to help you bridge the gap between effective telemedicine and quality patient care.

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