Telemedicine usage in response to the coronavirus pandemic has spiked. In New York, the hardest hit state in the country, telemedicine services have seen a 312 percent increase in demand from patients, according to CNBC News. Telehealth requests have also skyrocketed at large health systems including the Cleveland Clinic, Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Here are four fast telemedicine actions hospitals can take now to solve some of the issues presented by COVID-19, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
1. Use a telemedicine system to triage individuals who want to be tested for COVID-19 to help prevent overcrowding at testing sites.
2. Limit hospital infections by preventing walk-ins at emergency departments. Emergencies including heart attacks or strokes can get immediate permission for ED room access from a remote medical provider by implementing 20-minute COVID-19 tests in ambulances.
3. Use telemedicine technology to connect with patients who have mild cases of the coronavirus so they can recover outside hospitals and clinics.
4. Set up high-risk patients for remote treatment as soon as possible so individuals in nursing homes and assisted care facilities can receive ongoing medical attention remotely.
More articles on telehealth:
$2 trillion stimulus package includes $185M for telehealth at critical access hospitals
200 Hospital for Special Surgery physicians adopt telehealth
Telehealth visits at Mass General, Boston Medical Center skyrocket
