Telehealth Awareness Week: Celebrating the Important Role of Telehealth in Diagnostics
The American Telemedicine Association’s (ATA) 3rd annual Telehealth Awareness Week is taking place this coming week, September 17-23, 2023. The mission of Telehealth Awareness Week is to highlight the many ways virtual care improves access to healthcare services for communities throughout the United States.
Telehealth remains a vital lifeline for communities across the country. This is particularly true in the many healthcare deserts where community hospitals have closed, and few (if any) local medical resources remain. Telehealth is also critical in urban settings to support patient access and equity. For patients requiring support in their homes, telehealth plays an even more crucial role.
Virtual care technologies, including remote patient monitoring, provide access to quality healthcare whenever and wherever it is needed. In fact, patients prefer the convenience of telehealth care. Software Advice Inc.’s 2022 State of Telemedicine Survey revealed that 92% of patients surveyed indicated they are more likely to go with a doctor who has a telemedicine option over one who doesn’t.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 60% of U.S. adults have one chronic disease, while 40% of U.S. adults have two or more. Remote patient monitoring devices are important in chronic disease management, particularly for patients with diabetes, cardiovascular, and respiratory ailments. These technologies enable patients to monitor their health more closely and give them greater control over their health outcomes.
Telehealth and remote patient monitoring provide valuable benefits in diagnostics. Telehealth platforms can be used to present and discuss diagnostic testing results. Telehealth technology also provides opportunities for healthcare providers to consult with a patient online, send them a diagnostic kit (when appropriate), process the specimen once received, and deliver results and a recommended treatment plan back to the patient via a telehealth follow-up visit.
As the ATA says, Telehealth. Is. Health. At XiFin, we agree. The future of telemedicine is bright.
Learn more about how XiFin revenue cycle management solutions and services can help telehealth, medical device, and remote patient monitoring companies improve commercialization as well as ongoing operational and financial results here.