Technology has integrated itself into almost every aspect of our day to day lives, health care included. Though you may not fully understand telemedicine or the integration of technology into the healthcare system, it is most likely something you utilize regularly.
From devices like Apple watches and Fitbits that are continually monitoring your physical activity and heart rate to consulting with a physician and ordering prescriptions online, telemedicine is making healthcare more accessible, accurate, and affordable than ever before.
Continue reading to learn more about the benefits of telemedicine.
1) Provides a more comprehensive treatment plan
When coupled with traditional physicals and checkups, telemedicine provides a fully encompassing treatment or health maintenance plan because doctors and practitioners can provide care to patients after they’ve left the doctor’s office through virtual consultations.
Some patients, for example, need to travel to see a specialist or have surgery for specific cancers or diseases that their home town hospitals may not have the resources for. After the patient has left the specialist’s facility, the specialist can still provide top care and monitoring for the patient remotely thanks to telemedicine.
2) Avoids embarrassment from awkward topics
Have you ever avoided truthfully answering the doctor when they ask if you have any questions or concerns during a physical? You’re not alone. In a survey conducted by the University of Utah Health, 80 percent of those surveyed admitted that they have lied to a doctor about important information impacting their health due to embarrassment and fear of being judged.
Telemedicine offers a comfortable setting for patients to be open and honest about their more personal health concerns by providing the option to interact with doctors via email or video chat, allowing patients to save face and get the medical help they’ve been avoiding. Discussing solutions for low sex drive in females, for instance, is an example of a medical concern that may be difficult to bring up to a doctor face-to-face. Thanks to immerging telemedicine companies, nearly one in three women who suffer from low libido can finally get the medicine and medical guidance they’ve been wanting, but have been too embarrassed to ask for.
3) Saves time
Perhaps one of the most beneficial aspects of integrating telemedicine into your healthcare strategy is the time you’ll save. Though telemedicine works best when used to complement regular physicals and check-ups, it will make maintaining your health much more manageable. Not only can follow up appointments be conducted over video chat, phone, or email, but prescription medications can now be ordered online and delivered right to your door, saving you from having to make follow up appointments to get a refill script and going out of your way to the pharmacy to pick it up hours later.
4) Saves money
Along with saving time, telemedicine also allows you to save money on health costs. Many patients have found that remote check-ups with their physicians cost less, and insurance companies are beginning to provide coverage for telemedicine procedures.
The financial benefit to telemedicine also expands to prescription costs. Ordering your prescriptions online is a great option for someone who has high co-pays and deductibles, is without a health savings account (HSA), or is currently in an insurance lapse. Most online prescription services offer medicine at a consistent low, flat rate allowing the patient to plan ahead financially without having to worry about how to afford it.
5) Expands healthcare access to more people
Along with those experiencing a lapse in insurance or high copays, many people do not have access to healthcare because they live in “medical deserts” far away from any type of medical treatment or are disabled or too ill to travel to appointments.
Telemedicine is closing the gap between these people and their ability to receive the convenient, quality healthcare they need through remote check-ups and monitoring and doing so at reasonable prices.