1. Increase physician utilization rate. A physician’s time is very valuable, especially in light of the physician shortage. However, patients still cancel appointments, sometimes at the last minute, and leave physicians with extra time and no patients to see. “Telemedicine services are enabling physicians to make use of unused [time] so that they can treat more patients,” says Dr. Powell. This allows hospitals across the country to reduce the size of the physician shortage by ensuring physicians are using their time effectively.
2. Provide access to specialists for rural hospitals. The physician shortage has, for the most part, hit rural hospitals earlier and harder than their urban counterparts. It can be difficult for rural hospitals to recruit and retain physicians, and it can also be difficult for them to provide their patient populations with physicians who can handle infrequently seen conditions. “By connecting these smaller institutions to large medical centers, telemedicine improves the quality of care that patients receive,” says Dr. Powell.
3. Widen the pool of available physicians. Telemedicine does not only enable hospitals to connect with physicians across the country, it can spread the world over. “A number of specialties, including radiology and pathology, are amendable to international telemedicine,” says Dr. Powell. Connecting patients with international physicians can empower hospitals to work with physicians that would otherwise be inaccessible, according to Dr. Powell. In this way, telemedicine increases the number of physicians available in the U.S., thus decreasing the effects of the national physician shortage.
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