Optimizing the future of healthcare

Deploying a telemedicine program as part of a virtual healthcare strategy is now more crucial than ever.

According to a Grand View Research report, the global telemedicine market is expected to reach $113.1 billion by 2025 due to increasing incidence of chronic conditions and the rising demand for self-care. The rapidly growing telemedicine market was also recognized during this past American Telemedicine Association conference, along with the many challenges and opportunities providers face in deploying a telehealth program. One of the main challenges for providers is addressing the best way to deliver a seamless integration of telemedicine into care services to support the market expansion. One of the many opportunities presented by telemedicine – in addition to convenient access to care -- is that it can be the thread that holds the continuum of care together.

Patients, especially the younger millennial generation, are now seeking healthcare services from an ever-expanding array of providers and locations. Healthcare organizations have recognized this and they are preparing to support the consumer push for on-demand, remote services. To break down these specific challenges and opportunities and help healthcare providers understand their virtual care options for deployment, we must look beyond the ATA's theme of Telemedicine 2.0 to the next stage -- enterprise-level adoption, or Telemedicine 3.0.

The challenge

When considering telehealth deployment, it's imperative to remember the importance of starting a program with the full support and participation of clinicians. Many physicians worry that a service such as telehealth, which is based on convenience, may become another obligation or burden on their already full plates. Keep it simple by starting with a specific goal or within one service area. From there, providers' comfort levels and support for telehealth will grow and implementation can be expanded into other departments.

For seamless integration into the existing care continuum and to reach beyond the single-purpose solution of Telemedicine 2.0, enterprise software can provide all-encompassing capability on one platform. All the functions needed to operate virtual care services can be provided in a single suite of software that can be integrated with existing EMR, scheduling and billing systems.

For easy adoption, the 3.0 model can be leveraged for many use cases and across multiple service areas to increase access and convenience to care. Health systems can expand coordination of entire care teams regardless of location to deliver coordinated, high-quality and cost-effective and convenient virtual care.

The opportunity

Implementing a telehealth program allows providers to help manage growth as more consumers seek healthcare services from disparate providers and locations. To retain and enhance trusted patient relationships, especially for those with chronic conditions or who are undergoing active treatment and seek frequent encounters, providers are given the opportunity to extend their reach of care.

With the prospect of telehealth also comes a need for scalability. For health systems to scale virtual care to accommodate growth, they must deploy a solution to work across the continuum of care. For many clinical use cases or to support multiple departments, a Telemedicine 3.0 enterprise-level software solution can deliver all the features and functions needed for a true point-of-care solution, with a system architecture that can be integrated to work seamlessly with mHealth technologies and existing—and future—systems.

An enterprise platform creates a "total solution" that can provide a complete, turnkey virtual medical center and leverage the existing staff of health systems and medical groups, as well as integrated care teams. Through a single platform, patients can be engaged at home and in tertiary care or be used to facilitate care team interactions and specialty consults.

It's important to remember that the end goal for telehealth is to create an extension of an established medical practice that puts the tools of telemedicine in the hands of a patient's primary care and / or specialty physicians and other caregivers. With the right tools, providers can deliver high-quality, coordinated, cost-effective and convenient virtual care.

In short, providing a complete consumer experience that mimics traditional brick-and-mortar models of care and experiences will help providers reach the last mile in healthcare.

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