How Has Telemedicine Impacted Your Life?
The benefits of living away from the traffic, noise and pollution of big cities are great. A slower lifestyle can lead to improved health and a more relaxed state of mind. When it comes to receiving medical services when you live more than 60 miles from a metropolitan area, however, the distance can be overwhelming. If, for instance, you need to have weekly checks of a pacemaker or of your blood pressure, the trips back and forth to appointments can cut into your relaxation and your time. It is for these situations that telehealth services care can provide some of the greatest advantages.
A recent study of the outcomes of care for 8,000 patients using telemedicine services found no difference between the virtual appointment and an in-person office visit. Especially when it comes to routine checks like pacemaker and blood pressure readings, the benefits of telehealth services care are especially noticeable.
The number of telemedicine doctors using the telemedicine platform has increased in the last decade. In fact, 67% of healthcare professionals, including physicians and providers, are either using some form of telemedicine now, or are planning to implement this process in the next few years.
Healthcare providers have always known that one key to a healthy lifestyle has always been follow up visits and appointments. As the menu of types of telemedicine services available continues to grow, both physicians and patients alike see an increase in the number of follow-up appointments kept. While time and distance were once a deterrent to making follow-up doctor visits, telehealth services care options now provide a convenient and fast alternative.
As America becomes a country with more and more people having access to healthcare insurance, we also become a nation that continues to make that healthcare more affordable. Many see telehealth services care as an opportunity to offer more services at affordable rates. Some experts estimate that telemedicine could potentially deliver more than $6 billion a year in healthcare savings to American companies. If routine checks and follow-up visits can be done over the telemedicine platform, patients and doctors save money and time.
Even if you have not used a telemedicine service yet, it is likely that it will impact your healthcare program in the future. Some of the most recent estimates indicate that the number of patients using telehealth services will grow to nearly 7 million by the year 2018. This would be an increase from 350,000 in the year 2013. As scientists and researchers continue to make advances in healthcare, it is encouraging to know that technological patient care is making similar progress. The majority of healthcare executives say they expect telemedicine to transform the U.S. healthcare system in the next decade. If these 89% of executives are correct, we will see yearly advances in a variety of telemedicine trends.
