The means by which a patient can access medical care has advanced and since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic those means have evolved for patients to reach their primary provider. Reaching providers may not be too difficult, but having access to a specialist physician can be daunting. Patients may need to see a cardiologist, an OBGYN, a cancer specialist, or another specialty care doctor and that process, including setting up the appointment, can last over a month long. Utilizing a trusted telehealth solution at the specialty care physician’s disposal can expedite this process.
The Situation
Having a trusted telehealth solution can improve access to care overall, especially when looking to improve in certain medical conditions including certain demographics. For example, as stated by Dr. Avi Patil in the first episode of the Waiting Room, African-American women are more prone to a risky pregnancy partially due to access to speciality prenatal care. Limited access is not only a problem with high-risk pregnancies, but in other specialty care situations; cancer, dermatology, stroke care, and other chronic diseases as well. Also barricading access is not just with minority populations and individuals with certain conditions but also limited access is affecting people in rural/non-metro areas and other countries who don’t have the right personnel at hand.Due to a doctor’s location, along with the reach to other medical resources, can be a detriment to patient outcomes. Their outcomes can end negatively based on the fact that these individuals must first consult a primary care provider first before being issued a recommendation to a specialist before proceeding.
Benefits of Better Access for Specialists and Patients
Telehealth solves the issue of accessibility to care with the creation of a video platform that includes health integrations, making access easier for providers to reach patients which further expedites the time for doctors to get their patients to specialty physicians. The benefits help not only the patient but also the provider. Providers can set up and have video teleconferences with patients and bring in specialists during a consultation to obtain both a better diagnosis and patient outcome. Also included in that support are the other technological monitoring resources that can assist care personnel; pulse oximeters, blood pressure cuffs, glucose meters, and even a patient’s Apple Watch..
These advancements help specialists make for better final diagnoses. Better diagnoses also help physicians with an enhanced use of their time. Today’s medical world is hampered by staff shortages due to numerous reasons, including strikes and burnout. With access to a trusted telehealth solution, primary and specialty physicians can consult and triage more patients faster outcomes so doctors can go on to consulting new and other patients. Along with doctors having access to shared electronic medical records, the improved quality and faster outcome times of care can ultimately reduce medical costs for patients.
Conclusion
Having better access to a telehealth solution, such as BlueJeans Telehealth, can help primary providers reach specialty physicians in faster time including the possibility of seeing both care personnel individuals early in the consultation. These consultations save time, money, and ultimately, lives! As explained in episode 2 of the Waiting Room (top of the page), Dr. Patil explains access can be a barrier, but for him, as well as other doctors across the country, leveraging BlueJeans Telehealth as his video conferencing platform is helping to alleviate those barriers. Further, with the flexibility of having a telecommunication platform, like BlueJeans Telehealth, the patient can be consulted on a platform that's easy to use and access from nearly all telecommunication devices.
By increasing efficiency, convenience and cost savings for both providers and their patients alike, telehealth is fast becoming a ubiquitous tool for improving all health services. Through its beneficial capabilities, telehealth's influence on healthcare delivery is certain to continue making positive contributions far into the future. The BlueJeans Telehealth Plus plan includes all of the capabilities found in the standard package plus Apple Health, interpreter services, and image capture just to name a few.
About the Author
Justin Brant is the Senior Product Marketing Manager for BlueJeans by Verizon’s Telehealth solution. Justin is responsible for the development, deployment, and promotion of the overall marketing strategy for the Telehealth vertical. Prior to joining BlueJeans, Justin worked at Scholastic as the Senior Product Marketing Manager for Scholastic’s Summer and After School learning solutions. Justin holds a B.A. in History from Seton Hall University and an M.S. in Management from the University of Phoenix. Justin spends his personal time in the gym, traveling, along with participating in acts of community service.
