Is Telehealth the future of Healthcare?

Telehealth allows healthcare providers to treat and provide care for their patients remotely using live videoconferencing and real-time consultation. Telehealth is growing rapidly during the time of this global coronavirus pandemic, because it provides healthcare providers to stay in contact and communicate with their patients to provide quality healthcare and manage their diagnosed symptoms during this uncertain time.

Across the nation, telehealth application offerings in USA from companies such as SISGAIN enable healthcare providers to treat and communicate with their patients during the coronavirus pandemic. To limit the spread of the rate of infections, telehealth is a vital resource to tackle and contain the spread of this contagious virus. The infectious disease known as covid-19 is extremely infectious so individuals are being urged to stay at home and stay at least six feet apart to maintain social distancing unless they require urgent medical care.

Remote monitoring and real-time consultation with specialist healthcare providers allows patients to maintain strict social distancing protocols while also helping in maintaining contact with their care providers. New methods to provide quality healthcare have been rampant since the onset of the global pandemic. Telehealth usage has quickly managed and contained the potential exposure to the highly infectious virus and has started to minimize the spread of infections across the country.

Patients could be easily exposed to the infectious virus while coming into the healthcare facility which is why healthcare providers are urging the patients to call ahead before coming in for a traditional visit into the provider’s facility. Telehealth apps can be used by both covid-19 positive patients and non covid-19 positive patients to manage their health without further risking exposure to the contagious virus.

Telehealth also reduces the burden on healthcare workers and nursing staff in medical facilities. Across the nation, nurses, healthcare workers and medical professionals are at the frontline working around the clock to provide care and save as many coronavirus patients as possible. PPE kits, ventilators, mouth swabs, thermometers, and other equipment are in short supply as the large number of patients are starting to overburden the already overwhelmed public healthcare systems.

Telehealth establishes a digital future

The global coronavirus pandemic has shown us how really flawed and inefficient our public healthcare system really is. The coronavirus pandemic seems to be moving at a rapidly accelerated pace and healthcare providers need more time to look for ways to better manage the pandemic while also limiting risk of exposure. Certain obstacles are being removed by the state and local governments that prohibited smaller firms from integrating and adopting telehealth software systems previously.

Improving rural access to broadband internet connections and expanding telehealth parity laws help providers to reach to local patients using digital healthcare services. Virtual healthcare services can now be reimbursed at the same rate as traditional in-person visits. Medicaid and medicare providers can now be able to treat and care for patients even if they are across state lines and not licensed in the patient’s state.

Patients with underlying chronic diseases and elderly patients who are unable to visit healthcare facilities due to limited mobility can now have access to quality healthcare using telehealth to properly safeguard their health during and after the pandemic. Telehealth software has already proven to be beneficial to both patients and healthcare providers alike, so both parties will take advantage of the services and programs telehealth has to offer. It is unlikely that even after the pandemic is over, the usage and utilization of telehealth will decrease because healthcare providers use telehealth to reach a higher number of patients to deliver quality healthcare and to preserve precious resources while also reducing cost.