1. It Protects Medical Personnel and Patients
The risk of infection and surging demands on the healthcare system have made telehealth a safe and necessary tool. Primary care and specialist clinicians are doing as many visits as possible using telehealth as a replacement for office visits.
2. It Increases Healthcare Access in Senior Living Communities
Telemedicine can boost convenience, improve care and disease management, and reduce hospitalization rates for high-risk adults in senior housing communities. In mid-March, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services temporarily expanded telehealth services to include all Medicare beneficiaries. Under the expansion, those living in homes and healthcare settings outside of rural areas can now use telehealth services for office visits, preventive health screenings, and mental health services.
3. It Helps Conserve Supplies and Bed Space
Telehealth has reduced the demand for supplies and hospital beds by keeping low-risk patients at home, helping some medical systems that become overwhelmed.
4. It Brings Care to Populations in Need
The pandemic has highlighted existing racial, economic, and geographic disparities that can hinder medical treatment access. A rapid shift to telehealth could improve marginalized groups' access to the double challenge of limited resources and poor connectivity.
Contributed by healthtechmagazine.ne