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Given the choice, there’s no doubt most of us would prefer to live in a world where we had never heard of COVID-19. A world in which more than 7 million people had not succumbed to the disease1. A world that had not endured one of the worst job crises since the Great Depression2. A world in which the global prevalence of anxiety and depression did not soar by 25% in one year3. It is more than four years since the first case of coronavirus was recorded and no one has forgotten the devastating toll the pandemic took on countless nations, communities and individuals.
Nowhere was that pain felt more than in the health sector, which is why it is somewhat ironic that one of the few positive side effects to emerge from that period has been the rise of telehealth. While many hospitals and health practices provided some form of telehealth or telemedicine services prior to the pandemic, it has been estimated they accounted for less than 1% of outpatient encounters in early 20204. Then came the new world of social distancing and lockdowns and the figure soared to more than 13% in the first six months of the pandemic and Medicare telehealth utilization had a remarkable 63-fold increase5.
As the world grappled with the impact of coronavirus, the U.S. Congress removed a multitude of telehealth regulations to make it easier for people to access healthcare virtually and both the public and clinicians clearly liked the new approach. An American Medical Association study has found more than 80% of physicians believe patients have better access to care since using telehealth6, while 94% of patients who have had a telemedicine encounter want to access similar support in the future7.
‘House calls’ from doctors are once again surging but rather than the traditional knock on the door, they are pinging their patients’ smartphones and consulting via online conferencing platforms. Technology will never fully replace face-to-face consultations but telehealth is undoubtedly here to stay and that is inspiring a growing number of hospital and healthcare providers to seek support from outsourcing providers that specialize in telehealth services.
Given such demand, this article will showcase the benefits of telehealth, highlight potential hurdles, explain how outsourcing can boost service offerings and outline key steps for choosing a quality outsourcing partner.
Telehealth services are the use of virtual and digital technologies to provide healthcare, support and information to patients in remote settings. Such technologies can include computers, mobile devices and video conferencing and allow clinicians to deliver consultations when a physical examination is not required. The American Hospital Association has declared that it “supports the expansion of patient access created by hospitals’ efforts to deliver high quality and innovative telehealth services”8.
Telehealth outsourcing is the practice of hospitals and healthcare providers partnering with external agencies or individuals to boost their telehealth services. This can include the outsourcing providers taking care of parts of their telehealth operations including remote patient monitoring, telemedicine consultations and administrative tasks.
The number of telehealth services available for patients and clinicians is expanding as technology evolves.
The growing popularity of telehealth is on the back of an extensive list of benefits for patients and clinicians.
For its many benefits, there are a handful of issues that telehealth users need to consider.
Outsourcing telehealth services can provide significant benefits to healthcare organizations.
Partnering with an outsourcing telehealth provider is the easy decision. The true challenge is identifying one that has the knowledge, skills and people to enhance your offering. These tips will go a long way to achieving that.
At the peak of the pandemic, a leading news website declared that “telehealth may become (a) big part of (the) new normal”9. Four years on and that has proven to be the case as an increasing number of hospitals and health services strengthen their offerings in the area to meet the expectations of both patients and clinicians. It is no easy task though and it is reassuring to know they do not have to go it alone given help is at hand in the form of outsourced telehealth providers.
At a time of significant financial pressures, effective revenue cycle management (RCM) has never been more important for healthcare executives. Discover how outsourcing is helping hospitals and health practices optimize their RCM practices by tackling the likes of patient registration, insurance verification and claims submission.
Reference:
[1] COVID - Coronavirus Statistics - Worldometer (worldometers.info)
[2] COVID - Coronavirus Statistics - Worldometer (worldometers.info)
[3] COVID-19 pandemic triggers 25% increase in prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide (who.int)
[4] Outpatient telehealth use soared early in the COVID-19 pandemic but has since receded - Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker
[5] It’s Time to Cement Telehealth’s Place in U.S. Health Care (hbr.org)
[6] Telehealth resource center: Research findings | American Medical Association (ama-assn.org)
[7] 2022 U.S. Telehealth Satisfaction Study | J.D. Power (jdpower.com)
[8] Fact Sheet: Telehealth | AHA
[9] The doctor is online: Telehealth may become big part of new normal - VTDigger
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