7 Reasons You Should Seriously Consider a Telehealth Consultation
Telehealth Consultation
By Brian James Rose
Looking for a more flexible and convenient way to take care of your health? Discover 7 Reasons You Should Seriously Consider a Telehealth Consultation.
Three-quarters of American patients are using or interested in trying telehealth appointments. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to make scheduling and attending traditional in-person appointments complicated, interest in alternatives keeps rising.
But are telehealth appointments truly a substitute for in-person appointments? Are they appropriate for everyone? Keep reading now to get the facts and learn the top seven reasons you should consider a telehealth consultation for your next appointment.
1. Telehealth Is Perfect for Modern Lifestyles
The average American only has around four hours of free time per week. This can make it exceptionally difficult to fit in even critically important appointments. In fact, more than one-quarter of American adults report putting off a medical appointment due to scheduling challenges.
Scheduling can be even more challenging for people who:
- Are caregivers for elderly parents
- Are responsible for small children
- Work long or unusual hours
- Have to travel long distances to reach their providers
Telehealth consultations bring appointments to you, wherever you are. This means that caregivers don’t need to:
- Take their charges with them
- Leave their charges unattended
- Arrange complicated or costly substitute care
It can also enable busy professionals to take appointments from the privacy of their offices during their lunch hours. However you choose to set them up, telehealth appointments can accommodate your busy lifestyle better than traditional, in-person appointments.
Telehealth Consultation
2. Telehealth Helps Keep Patients Safe
Doctors’ offices, however well maintained, can be hotbeds of infection. Sick patients and healthy patients unavoidably travel through and mingle in the same spaces.
Telehealth appointments keep sick patients out of health facilities, which:
- Reduces the likelihood that they will spread their illnesses
- Keeps well patients from being unnecessarily exposed to sickness
- Reduces the flow into and demand on facilities
This is one of the benefits of telehealth that is good for everyone but particularly important for individuals with:
- Compromised immune systems
- Chronic conditions
- Other vulnerabilities
Telehealth allows patients to maintain their regular appointment schedules without risking new infections, even during pandemics.
3. Telehealth Saves Time
Patients using telehealth consultations do not have to:
- Travel to and from appointments
- Sit in waiting rooms completing pre-appointment paperwork
- Take time off from work to go to appointments
- Arrange for babysitters or other coverage during their appointments
This translates directly into a significant amount of time saved each visit. Telehealth may also allow patients to keep their pre-existing service providers when they move. This spares them the time and costs involved in changing providers.
4. Telehealth Saves Money
Telehealth is cheaper for both patients and providers. Patients save money by not driving or securing other transportation to and from appointments. Often, telehealth also makes it possible for them to see a practitioner in their usual practice instead of going to the ER when they have concerns.
Telehealth reduces practitioners’ expenses, too, creating savings that they are able to then pass on to patients.
5. A Telehealth Consultation Lets You Access More Doctors
Lack of access to the right professionals can keep patients from accessing the care that they need. This is particularly true for patients:
- Who live in rural areas
- Who live in high-demand areas where there is an insufficient supply of practitioners
- Who lack independent transportation
- Who have health issues that make it hard to travel
- Who want to see specialists
The prohibitive costs or logistics of reaching the right providers often keeps patients from seeing nutritionists and other support staff who might be able to help them manage long-term health conditions or reach goals such as:
- Blood pressure regulation
- Weight loss programs
- Blood sugar balancing
Telehealth can put these types of appointments within reach for everyone by widening the net of accessible practitioners.
6. Telehealth Is Well-Suited to Most Conditions
Many people assume that much of the health care they receive requires them to see a physician in person. Health professionals, on the other hand, claim that around 80 percent of making an accurate diagnosis and delivering good care lies in activities like taking a good health history, communicating clearly, and following up regularly.
Telehealth facilitates all of those key functions, making it appropriate for patients with a wide range of conditions and concerns. Aside from emergency care, such as setting broken bones, most appointments can be transitioned easily to telehealth. In fact, telehealth may be the best option for patients who need short but frequent visits, such as those managing chronic conditions like diabetes.
7. Convenient
Nearly three-quarters of patients rank convenience as a top priority in health care. Most rank it far above the ability to see their health consultants in person.
Telehealth is at the leading edge of health care convenience. It:
- Fits easily into busy schedules
- Offers more flexibility than traditional appointments
- Can be accessed through any smart device
- Has a short and shallow learning curve
- Can increase and improve patient-provider communication
- Promotes strong follow-through and better patient outcomes
In all these ways and more, telehealth is emerging as one of the most convenient forms of care for patients and providers alike.
How to Get Started With Telehealth
The easiest way to get started is to ask your current providers about their telehealth options. Then choose a telehealth consultation whenever it is available and appropriate.
If you are looking for new providers:
- Choose practices with telehealth options
- Ask which services providers recommend receiving online
- Ask which services providers feel requires an in-person visit
You may be surprised how little they recommend coming to the office!
Schedule a Free Consultation
Start getting the support, resources, and convenience you need to make your health goals achievable. Schedule a free telehealth consultation today.
Have questions about the benefits of telehealth, our services, or the process? Drop us a line and let our expert staff provide you with the information you need right away!