Tessa Quinn
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of telemedicine as hospitals expanded their telehealth programs to promote physical distancing, preserve resources, and improve patient care. Leading health systems have since evolved their telemedicine leadership structures and strategies to scale up technology initiatives. Large hospital networks have been at the forefront of implementing telehealth solutions, while smaller practices have lagged. Large hospitals use telemedicine for various services, including primary care, mental health, and chronic disease management. They also leverage telemedicine to retain revenue by treating patients locally instead of transferring them to other facilities for specialty care. Small healthcare clinics can learn from large hospitals to effectively adopt telemedicine technologies and improve patient care.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Hospitals adopting telemedicine | 76% of hospitals reported using telehealth in 2017 |
| Telemedicine during the pandemic | Telemedicine appointments increased by 766% in the first 3 months |
| Telemedicine for large hospitals | Large hospital networks use telehealth for primary care, mental health care, chronic disease management, and remote patient monitoring |
| Telemedicine for small hospitals | Small practices with 3 or fewer physicians are 20% less likely to use telemedicine |
| Telemedicine and EHR | Telemedicine platforms can connect with EHR systems, improving interoperability and workflow |
| Telemedicine and patient outcomes | More than 50% of clinicians feel telemedicine provides more effective treatment and reduces ER visits |
| Telemedicine and cost savings | Telemedicine can reduce the need for in-person visits and overprescribing, saving costs |
| Telemedicine and specialist access | Telemedicine allows specialists to treat patients in local hospitals, avoiding transfers and saving $3,800 per patient |
What You'll Learn
Large hospitals are at the forefront of adopting telemedicine
Large hospitals are leading the way in the adoption of telemedicine, with many smaller practices lagging behind. This is despite the fact that telemedicine has been shown to be effective in improving patient care and reducing costs. So, what are large hospitals doing differently, and how can their success be replicated?
Firstly, large hospital networks have the advantage of scale when it comes to implementing new technologies. They have more resources, including a larger number of physicians, which makes it easier to adopt new systems and ensure buy-in from leadership. For example, OSF Healthcare, one of the early adopters of telemedicine, was able to invest in its data capabilities and build a data warehouse 15 years ago, laying the foundation for its successful telemedicine business, OSF OnCall.
Secondly, large hospitals are using telemedicine for a wide range of services, including primary care, mental health care, chronic disease management, and remote patient monitoring. This variety of use cases allows them to better serve their patients and improve care continuity. For instance, cardiologists can use telemedicine to monitor patient heart health after a heart attack, while psychiatrists can provide therapy to patients in rural areas without the need for travel.
Thirdly, large hospitals are improving interoperability and care continuity by integrating telemedicine platforms with their existing electronic health record (EHR) systems. This enables seamless access to patient records across different providers and enhances workflows, making it easier for clinicians to adopt telemedicine into their practices.
Finally, large hospitals are able to streamline and scale their telemedicine programs by re-organizing their leadership and organizational structures. This includes centralizing digital care leadership to bring structure and strategy to their telemedicine initiatives. By doing so, they are able to overcome the challenges of long-term alignment and scalability that smaller practices may struggle with.
In conclusion, large hospitals are at the forefront of adopting telemedicine by leveraging their resources and scale, implementing a wide range of use cases, improving interoperability, and streamlining their organizational structures. Smaller practices can learn from their successes and challenges to improve their own adoption of telemedicine and better serve their patients.
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Telemedicine improves patient care and reduces costs
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a rapid shift towards telemedicine, with hospitals expanding their telehealth programs to promote physical distancing, stop the spread of disease, and preserve resources. Telemedicine has been increasingly adopted by large hospitals to improve patient care and reduce costs.
Large hospital networks have been at the forefront of adopting and implementing telehealth solutions to improve care. These hospitals use telemedicine for various services, including primary care, mental health care, chronic disease management, and remote patient monitoring. For example, cardiologists can monitor patient heart health after heart attacks, psychiatrists can provide therapy to patients in rural areas, and dermatologists can treat skin conditions without requiring in-office visits. This reduces the need for routine face-to-face visits and can decrease the number of hospital readmissions.
Telemedicine improves patient care by providing convenient, real-time access to healthcare professionals, increasing compliance, and enabling timely interventions. It also improves continuity of care by giving patients access to care and health data from anywhere with an internet connection. Additionally, telemedicine can increase interoperability of electronic health records (EHRs), allowing seamless access to patient records across different providers and improving workflow efficiency.
Telemedicine can also reduce costs for hospitals and patients. A 2017 study found that a tele-emergency program in rural hospitals resulted in a cost saving of approximately $3,800 per patient who avoided transfer to another facility. Telemedicine may also reduce the overprescribing of medication or overuse of testing, as clinicians may feel more confident in their diagnoses when they have some prior knowledge of the patient and can easily access their health records.
Small healthcare clinics can learn from large hospitals by observing their implementation of telemedicine technologies. By embracing telemedicine, small clinics can improve their operational efficiency, reach a wider patient base, and provide more accessible care to their communities.
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Telemedicine can be used for drug delivery and patient monitoring
Telemedicine has emerged as a pivotal technology in healthcare, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry, and has the potential to improve patient monitoring and drug delivery.
Telemedicine allows healthcare professionals to evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients remotely using telecommunications technology. This has proven to be a vital tool in the post-pandemic era, with hospitals quickly expanding their telehealth programs to promote physical distancing, curb the spread of disease, and preserve resources. The use of telemedicine in hospitals and their adjacent health delivery systems saw a sharp increase during the pandemic, with telemedicine appointments rising by 766% among working-age Americans with private health insurance in the first three months.
Telemedicine has had a profound impact on patient care, especially in drug use education, side effects management, and health monitoring. Telepharmacy, a subset of telemedicine, is the delivery of pharmaceutical care via telecommunications to patients who may not have direct access to a pharmacist. This is particularly beneficial for those in rural and remote communities, as it allows pharmacists to provide medication management, dispensing, and patient counseling remotely. Telepharmacy services can include drug therapy monitoring, patient counseling, and refill authorization for prescription drugs, all of which can be done through videoconferencing.
Additionally, telemedicine plays a crucial role in drug management, especially for patients with chronic conditions requiring complex medication regimens. Digital health platforms enable the remote monitoring of patients' health status and medication effects, allowing for dynamic adjustments to treatment plans. This ensures that patients receive the most appropriate medication based on their current health needs, improving treatment efficacy. Furthermore, telemedicine streamlines the prescription refill process by integrating electronic prescription services and pharmacy delivery systems. Patients can easily access their medication history and request refills, with medications delivered directly to their homes, enhancing medication access and adherence.
The integration of telemedicine into healthcare marks a significant evolution in how medical services are delivered and accessed globally. It improves efficiency, reduces costs, and enhances accessibility. However, there are challenges to be addressed, including regulatory and ethical frameworks, privacy concerns, and the need for structured educational interventions to ensure effective patient education.
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Telemedicine improves interoperability of electronic health records (EHRs)
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a rapid shift towards telemedicine, with hospitals expanding their telehealth programs to promote physical distancing, stop the spread of disease, and preserve resources. Telemedicine has been crucial in improving access to care and enabling safe and prompt remote treatment.
Furthermore, telemedicine interoperability with EHR software enables virtual visits on a larger scale, benefiting patients in remote or rural areas. It also helps to reduce costs for patients by making it easier to transfer records between doctors and improving the quality of care by providing doctors with access to the most current and complete patient information.
Telemedicine also assists in addressing the challenges of inconsistent information across large health networks. By adopting a single unified network and interface, providers can simplify the process of sharing information and improve data liquidity, ensuring patient data is always available to stakeholders.
Overall, the integration of telemedicine with EHRs improves interoperability, enhances patient care and satisfaction, and increases access to healthcare services, particularly in underserved areas.
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Telemedicine can prevent hospital readmissions
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant shift towards telemedicine, with hospitals rapidly expanding their telehealth programs to promote physical distancing, stop the spread of the virus, and preserve personal protective equipment and other resources. Telemedicine has been used to deliver clinical healthcare from a distance, transforming the future of healthcare access, quality, and cost.
Telemedicine can also improve medication adherence. Healthcare providers can set up alerts and voice calls to remind patients when medications are overdue and schedule virtual visits to maintain regular communication and promote medical adherence. This can be particularly useful for patients with chronic conditions such as heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, and diabetes.
Additionally, telemedicine can reduce the financial burden on hospitals and patients. Studies have shown that telemedicine can save hospitals money by reducing readmissions and improving patient outcomes. For example, one study found that telemedicine saved an average of $1,999 per patient, while another study of five New York care-transition home health agency programs found that they saved $1.2 million in averted readmissions by using telemedicine.
Overall, telemedicine has the potential to prevent hospital readmissions by improving patient care and reducing costs. It can provide patients with ongoing education and support, improve medication adherence, and reduce the need for costly hospital readmissions.
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Frequently asked questions
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a rapid increase in telemedicine consultations due to reduced regulations and increased payment parity. Hospitals expanded their telehealth programs to promote physical distancing, prevent the spread of disease, and preserve resources.
Large hospital networks have been at the forefront of adopting and implementing telehealth solutions to improve care. They use telemedicine for a variety of services, including primary care, mental health care, and chronic disease management. Small healthcare clinics can learn from these large hospital networks to improve their adoption of telemedicine technologies.
Telemedicine improves patient care by providing remote patient monitoring, timely interventions, increased engagement, and improved continuity of care. It also increases access to healthcare in underserved areas and enables collaboration between specialists.
Telemedicine can potentially prevent hospital readmissions by increasing compliance and providing convenient, real-time access to patients. Studies suggest that telemedicine may be a reasonable alternative to in-person care and may not lead to increased emergency room visits or hospitalizations.
Telemedicine is particularly beneficial for rural areas, as it can reduce the need for patient transfers to other healthcare facilities for specialty care, saving costs and improving patient quality of care. It also helps create a virtual professional network, reducing feelings of isolation for rural healthcare providers.
