Does Primary Healthcare via Telehealth Really Work? Patients and Physicians Say, “Yes.”

There are days when it’s hard to find a silver lining past the dark cloud covering the world that is COVID-19. Yet here we are, doing what humans do quite well: evolve and adapt.

In healthcare, the pandemic drove a rapid increase in the use of digital clinical tools among general practitioners, clinics, hospitals, and other primary health care providers. It also introduced the broader public to the telehealth services. Telehealth (also telemedicine) is not new. Still, its adoption into mainstream healthcare had been slow. There were too many factors that were not yet normalized or even regulated. Today, however, patients and medical care providers have little choice other than telehealth technology to keep receiving and giving healthcare.

But does it really work?

This is a valid concern among patients who’ve never tried telehealth services before. Even general practitioners (GPs) had expressed nervousness over the prospect of assessing health conditions without seeing patients in person. Judging by many interviews and write-ups about the matter, many GPs and patients have been able to adjust to this new norm very well. In fact, services like https://craftconcierge.com/ very simple.

Productive Consultations Even Without Physical Exams

The biggest concern regarding the transition from face-to-face consultations to video conferencing is the impact on the quality of care physicians can give. The immediate worry was that physicians might not be able to make accurate assessments or diagnoses. Physical examinations, after all, are part of consultations and diagnostic procedures.

The present situation being what it is, GPs can make the most of what current technology offers and use video consultations instead of phone consultations. A qualitative study published in the British Journal of General Practice found video consultations adequate and time-saving for appointments that don’t require physical examinations. However, the researchers conceded that patients with more complex and sensitive health concerns can get better quality care and diagnosis if they are to have a face-to-face consultation complete with a physical exam.

It bears noting that video consultations are designed primarily for GPs who accept referrals and family practice physicians who are already well-informed about the health histories of their patients and have likely administered treatment for their past and chronic illnesses.

During a video consultation, GPs have on the screen before them the EHR or EMR records of the patient. These files are integrated into the platform that hosts the consultation, like the Advance MD dashboard. Results from any recent tests will also be accessible through this dashboard. GPs should be able to identify health concerns and prescribe medicine or further tests based on the EHR/EMR data, video feed, and feedback from the patients themselves.

Greater Convenience and Accessibility

One of the initial concerns regarding telehealth and video consultations is that patients might experience culture shock. Those who’re not tech-savvy, are unfamiliar with video conferencing, or don’t know how to install or use webcams would have a hard time navigating the technology. The fear then was that technology would become a roadblock rather than a medium to heighten healthcare accessibility.

Although valid, we’re learning that these fears needn’t have held back hospitals and clinics from implementing telehealth services before the pandemic struck. Anecdotes from primary care and family physicians that were published on the American Academy of Family Physicians’ website proves this. Patients have been able to adapt rather quickly to the “new normal” in healthcare, including senior patients. It’s because telehealth services are designed to make consultations quick and easy for patients. All they need to do is click on the link that the hospital staff would text or email.

Telehealth offers more conveniences:

• No driving or commuting necessary.

• Patients can squeeze a consultation during their lunch break instead of taking a few hours off to go to the hospital.

• Patients can have a consultation anywhere with a reliable Internet connection.

• Appointments are all pre-scheduled and confirmed on the day, just like with hospital visits.

• Senior patients, the people most vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus, can stay safely at home and still receive medical care and advice from their physicians.

• Billing and insurance claims are all made digitally. Moreover, hospitals and private practices can verify a patient’s insurance coverage beforehand. Patients won’t be surprised by their billing sheet, and hospitals and private practices can limit operation losses due to ineligible payment claims on health insurance companies.

• Healthcare providers can streamline practice management, EHR data gathering, and insurance claims processing.

A Work in Progress

Telehealth services are proving to be effective thus far, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement. The implementation had been very rapid, so it’s highly likely that there are gaps in the system. Bear in mind that telehealth has extensive coverage and spans different industries and sectors:

• Healthcare services

• Insurance providers

• Federal and state policymakers

• Health services technology developers

• Communications (Internet connectivity) providers

Industry analysts add that there are still regulatory roadblocks in telehealth and that comprehensive state and federal policies are crucial for this specific area of healthcare to be 100% beneficial for both patients and healthcare providers.