As telemedicine continues to grow, 91% of healthcare facilities are expected to offer telemedicine services by the end of 2020.
Telemedicine is a new, innovative way of seeing and treating patients. Because of its many benefits, telemedicine services are becoming more available.
If you’re interested in learning more about telemedicine services, keep reading. We’ll tell you everything you need to know about how telemedicine works and what the benefits of telemedicine are.
How Does Telemedicine Work?
Telemedicine is simply a visit to the doctor’s office that occurs over a video call or audio call. All you have to do is wait for the physician’s call or video chat invitation.
There are no waiting rooms.
Telemedicine is great for patients who need visits with physicians without wanting to worry about spending the entire day in the office. In fact, this is useful for physicians too. They don’t have to worry about crowded offices.
Telemedicine is considered the future of medicine. This convenient and easy way to conduct appointments has become a hot topic in the medical field.
What Are the Benefits of Telemedicine?
As we mentioned, telemedicine has many benefits. Other than it’s convenience, accessibility, and time-saving characteristics, telemedicine also offers HIPPA-compliance, cheaper payments, and quicker appointments.
HIPPA is an abbreviation for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This is the law that protects patient confidentiality. HIPPA does still apply to telemedicine appointments.
The appointments are online, but they are secured. Your information will not be released even if you have a video appointment.
Because telemedicine visits can occur outside of a medical office, they tend to be cheaper. The office does not have to spend as much money on telemedicine visits because they don’t have to worry about paying for building maintenance. This means that you’d be paying less for these visits.
Telemedicine appointments are much quicker than in-person appointments. You don’t have to arrive early, sit in a waiting room, or wait in the exam room. All you have to do is be ready for a phone or video call.
You can occupy your time with whatever you want to do while you’re waiting to hear from the physician. Also, these calls can cover most medical services including urgent care services.
Are There Any Disadvantages to Telemedicine Visits?
There are many benefits that come with telemedicine, but there are some disadvantages as well.
If you’re not good with technology, you may not like having telemedicine visits. An easy interface could still be difficult for some people to learn. It may also be difficult to communicate everything over video chat or phone call.
Patients with physical problems like rashes or swelling may find telemedicine visits more difficult. Physicians are able to look over video at these, but they may not get a perfect view over the camera.
An Urgent Care With Telemedicine Services
Telemedicine services aren’t restricted to family medicine offices. If you’re looking to make a telemedicine appointment with an urgent care facility, you can call today and schedule one.
At Emerald Coast Urgent Care, we’re no strangers to using telemedicine. However, we can also see you in person if you prefer in-person visits.