The Potential for Telehealth: Care is Coming Home

The pace of innovation has been affecting modern society like never before. Technology is sweeping changes whereas challenges and opportunities continue to impact the home care industry. In today’s time, it’s more important than ever before for agencies to remain agile and be able to pivot within this evolving landscape and meet the demands of clients, government bodies, and other key stakeholders.

With the budget continuing to shrink and demand quality and value-based care continuing to rise, the urgency of adopting real solutions has become essential. Solutions that integrate patient information across the health-care spectrum are as prudent as a technology that links to critical infrastructures like hospital networks and pharmacies. It can yield huge efficiencies in patient management.

Telehealth& its capabilities

Telehealth has vast skills that can truly integrate the health network in the future. There’s no question of its potential and its inevitable necessity in the home care landscape, particularly as it relates to remote patient monitoring (RPM). In fact, telehealth covers remote control of patients with one or more chronic conditions, and even beneficiaries are now able to choose to receive in-home tracking in addition to traditional in-person check-ups.

All providers considering implementing an all-in-one technology solution with telehealth capabilities are well-aligned for success in the new world of client-focused care. Telehealth is a real step forward in realizing truly integrated care including clinical information on vitals, fall detection, and GPS location streaming in real-time offers allowing for greater transparency in data sharing and coordination. Telehealth ultimately will enable clients to remain in their homes longer and in greater comfort. This, in turn, lessens the burden on patients and promotes substantial cost savings.

Benefits of Telehealth

Some benefits that flow from a well-planned telehealth approach to home care are-

• Patient-centered care: It allows clients to receive medical care in their own homes, empowering them to have control over the care that’s best for them. While no tech solution completely replaces an in-person visit, telehealth makes it possible to deliver virtual home care visits where and when it makes sense. This can have a significant impact on clients who live in rural areas at a considerable distance from care facilities. It also enables care workers to care for more clients within a reduced time frame which is an essential consideration while dealing with the issues of staff shortages.
• Real-time communication: Home care providers can now receive data in real-time, enabling pre-emptive care that can prevent unnecessary hospital visits and promote faster and better interactions between clients and their care providers. These streamlined interactions are not only highly efficient but empower patients to understand their symptoms and have the genuine chance to improve patient outcomes.

Telehealth is making medical advice, diagnoses, and prescriptions available remotely, without in-person visits. It is removing barriers like distance, traffic, and inflexible work hours, and any other factor that prevents or delays access to care for patients.

People who wait too long to seek care risk developing more serious, complex, and costly health conditions. Therefore, telehealth patients are more likely to get health issues resolved quickly and efficiently.