The COVID pandemic opened up telehealth like nothing before, in terms of immediate patient care from anywhere at any time. Because of its convenience for both patients and physicians, telehealth is here to stay.

And with the global pandemic, it quickly became apparent that protecting staff has equal importance to patient health. If our healthcare workers are unable to work, patient care deteriorates. Care Teams and Clinicians suffer greater rates of burnout and depression, and a provider’s ability to maintain their quality of care comes under threat. For patients and care teams, telehealth is an organic move into the world of video conferencing for patient care.  It’s a paradigm shift away from traditional in-office visits and providers trying to schedule appointments while juggling rounds and patient follow-up.

Emily Sokol, MPH, writing in mHealthIntelligence says, “The coronavirus pandemic sparked the growth of telehealth across the healthcare industry. This growth will continue after the pandemic, industry experts said at the Value-Based Care Summit | Telehealth20: Virtual Series. ” She continues, “Stay-at-home orders meant many patients were not seeking care on-site. So organizations needed to adjust their practices if patients were going to continue receiving care safely. Telehealth was the obvious solution. Unsurprisingly, 91 percent of conference attendees said the role of telehealth had increased at their organization since March 2020. And over two-thirds (68 percent) were explicitly motivated to participate in telehealth programs because of the coronavirus.”

The right care with telehealth

Telehealth in hospitals can lessen the workload for already over taxed Nurses, doctors and care teams. As you consider a healthcare offering, consider the HCI Telehealth app, available through MediaCare. The app is typically deployed through digital door sign and in-room patient whiteboards. The Telehealth app is scalable and flexible, and CleanCall, another advancement in telehealth, lets caregivers video patients from the hall outside the patient room. That’s useful for when contact or negative pressure protocols are in place. Both apps offer clinical decision support to make sure your treatment plans are being carried out according to plan.

What are the benefits?

Telehealth and smart video capabilities on HCI digital whiteboards offer:

• A high level of convenience for patients and providers
• Safety for patients and providers, with no or limited contact
• A vehicle for clinical decision support with video consultations and meetings
• Reduced or eliminated travel for patients who may have ambulatory concerns and/or transportation issues
• Reduced complications with scheduling and eliminating waiting room wait times
• Keeps patients and staff safe, but still connected on a personal level
• Reduced staff burnout and keeping teams safer from infection risks
• Additional billing revenue and lower operating costs