Telehealth in the Small Clinic
Telehealth is becoming an increasingly popular option for healthcare providers of all sizes. For small clinics and health practices, telehealth can provide a number of benefits. These range from direct cost reductions for patients and doctors to ensuring a patient's peace of mind. Offering technical solutions to healthcare has traditionally been very pricey. Thankfully, the barrier to entry is slowly disappearing, in both complexity and cost. So what would benefit a small practice with a small dedicated staff?
Phone and web based telehealth can provide self-service prescription refills and appointment scheduling. This means that patients can visit the clinic's website or portal, select their preferred pharmacy, and request a refill without needing to talk to anyone. They can also schedule their own appointments with ease. This reduces the number of phone calls that the staff needs to take, and frees them up to focus on other tasks.
Telehealth can provide around-the-clock availability. This means that patients can get care when they need it, without having to wait for office hours. This is especially beneficial for urgent care needs or for patients who have difficulty getting to the doctor during normal business hours. Being able to provide after hours care, though limited, can divert patients to much needed medical care or provide peace of mind during a stressful health related situation.
Another great benefit of telehealth is the ability to outsource triage. This means that patients can be advised by a third party nurse or doctor when their usual doctor is not available. This can be especially helpful for clinics with very limited staff. Many of these interactions end up saving patients an in person trip to the doctor. By outsourcing this service, small practices can both save on staff time and costs, and can provide after hours service.
Finally, telehealth can provide post-visit follow ups to monitor ongoing health. At minimum, patients can be checked on after they leave the clinic to make sure that their condition is not worsening. This can help to catch problems early and prevent them from becoming serious.
Overall, telehealth provides a number of benefits for small clinics and health practices. These lead to better outcomes, patient satisfaction, and lowered costs of business. If you are a small clinic or health practice, telehealth is definitely something to consider. Do you have a telehealth solution in place at your small clinic or health practice? What benefits have you seen? Let us know in the comments below!
