Telemedicine Is No Longer Optional—How to Make It Work
Before March of this year, the odds someone had used telemedicine weren’t that high. But the healthcare landscape has changed dramatically. From March 2019 to March 2020, telemedicine claims increased 4,347 percent nationally from 0.17 percent of claims to 7.52 percent. For anyone trying to provide or access health services in the past few months, that shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. Hospitals and clinics needing to handle high volumes of patients—potentially infected with a contagious virus—required solutions. This led to the rapid deployment of telemedicine.
In the past, telehealth existed, but so did many obstacles to widespread use. Big challenges like regulatory issues, licensing issues, questions about reimbursement, and security concerns impeded adoption. All that has changed very quickly, though, as federal and state governments have relaxed restrictions for Medicare and Medicaid coverage, HIPAA enforcement, and restrictions on prescribing medications via telemedicine. Insurance companies have also changed policies, so a telemedicine visit is often covered like an in-office visit. With these obstacles out of the way, health systems have implemented apps for virtual visits without needing to worry so much about compliance issues.
Whether your organization has already adopted telemedicine, is in the process of doing so, or hasn’t yet begun, there are still issues to navigate. But the benefits can outweigh many of the drawbacks.
The list of benefits is long
First off, in the face of a pandemic, telemedicine offers some pretty big benefits: Patients who might be infected can get screened before visiting an emergency room. Those who know they are infected can check in with their doctor remotely. And patients who need care for other health issues don’t need to risk exposure. Providers who may have been exposed can even still see patients while quarantined. Virtual visits have also helped reduce the burden on hospitals that may already be overwhelmed with patients.
Beyond the current situation, telemedicine also offers flexibility for patients and the ability to get care faster in many cases. It can also make care easier to access for those who live far from a clinic or have difficulties traveling. In addition, telemedicine can lead to significant cost savings. According to one Dartmouth University study, it could reduce costs by up to 90 percent. HP recognized these benefits of telehealth over the past few years, and we’ve been working to help healthcare systems make smart technology choices for these services.
All these benefits suggest telemedicine will likely continue to be a valuable tool for a long time, especially if organizations can get the right technology, processes, and security in place.
Telemedicine challenges still exist
IT departments supporting telemedicine need to facilitate smooth, efficient virtual visits for both providers and patients. This requires the right technology. Some clinics may need to invest in more endpoint devices to enable virtual visits, while others will need to check that the devices they have will function well. You’ve likely been part of at least one Zoom meeting where video or sound quality was poor. That’s not an ideal situation for a medical visit. Consider issues not only related to the devices themselves, but also the environments where providers will hold virtual visits. Rooms that echo or have poor lighting could pose problems. And don’t forget about network connectivity. Reliable internet connections are more important than ever.
In many cases, new hardware technology and software applications require new training. Doctors, nurses, medical assistants, and anyone else who will participate in visits need to learn how to use telemedicine technology and troubleshoot problems if needed. Patients will also need to be briefed on how telemedicine visits work.
Beyond getting the basics set up, the biggest challenge for telemedicine is security. Patient privacy is incredibly important. While restrictions may have loosened recently, the need for good security hasn’t changed. And just as increased remote work has opened many companies up to security issues, so too has expanding healthcare beyond a provider’s building. Live video, images, and patients’ medical data may all be shared electronically outside of a traditional healthcare setting. To protect that information, IT needs to make sure networks, endpoint devices, and telemedicine apps have strong security, and ensure plans exist for encrypting and storing data.
Hardware that’s designed for healthcare can alleviate many of these concerns, as it’s set up to handle telemedicine and comes with built-in security features. HP Healthcare Editions devices, for example, are purpose-built for the healthcare industry, so they’re designed to protect patient data and meet HIPAA requirements. HP Z Workstations also provide the reliability needed for telemedicine. Their performance and visualization capabilities make it easy for providers to pull up patient video feeds, access data, and collaborate remotely.
What does the future look like for telemedicine?
Just a few months ago, telemedicine didn’t play a huge role in healthcare. Circumstances have changed, though, and made virtual medicine necessary. According to a report by Arizton, the U.S. telehealth market is expected to reach $10B this year, with 80 percent year-over-year growth. It’s probably safe to say telemedicine won’t be going away. Patients are on board, too. A recent survey found 84 percent of patients in the U.S. are more likely to choose a provider who offers telemedicine visits.
Furthermore, healthcare organizations have realized the benefits of being able to check in with patients remotely, especially during a pandemic. More providers want to be prepared to handle telemedicine, and by addressing the biggest remaining obstacles to adoption like endpoint technology and security, you can make sure you’re ready for the future.