RoxanneHas the coronavirus outbreak made you stop to think more seriously about your health? It probably has, and if you don’t have health insurance coverage, your days may start to be filled with worry.
The high costs of health insurance keep many people uncovered. But even though healthcare may be expensive, that’s no excuse not to look for better alternatives.
Telemedicine, which is sometimes referred to as telehealth, is one such alternative that can keep you healthy without breaking the bank.
To get you more familiar with this innovative method of treatment, let’s look at how telemedicine can change the way you look at healthcare.
1. Telemedicine gives you various ways to connect with health professionals from a distance.
With telehealth, there’s no need for in-person visits that take up your time and barely fit into your busy schedule. Instead of having to sit in a waiting room with other ill patients who could make you even sicker, you can now connect with medical personnel in several specialties via:
- Wireless applications
- Nursing call centers
- Video conferencing
- Patient portals
- And more…
2. Patient portals keep your confidential medical information secure.
Have you ever communicated with doctors via email after an in-person appointment? If so, you may have felt a bit worried about the possibility of confidential information being hacked.
Telemedicine uses patient portals that offer a safer alternative to email. Through them, you can perform a wide variety of functions without having to leave your home, such as:
- Get prescriptions refilled.
- Schedule new appointments and get reminders about existing ones.
- Review test results and summaries of past virtual visits.
- Talk with your doctor or a nurse about any health issues you’ve been having.
Depending on which type of patient portal you use, you may be able to get all of that functionality and more in one spot, which can help simplify things and save you a ton of time.
3. Virtual doctor appointments can replace in-person visits.
Your health issue may be so severe that visiting a doctor’s office may seem like an impossible or even dangerous task. Or you may live far away from specialists who can treat your rare condition.
Regardless of the case, a virtual doctor appointment can help you consult with a nurse or doctor over video conferencing. In doing so, it eliminates the need for inconvenient in-person visits.
4. Doctors can monitor your health remotely with telemedicine.
Several telehealth technologies make it easy for doctors to monitor your progress from a distance.
For instance, doctors can use devices that measure your blood pressure and blood glucose and transmit data wirelessly. They can also use home monitoring devices that detect falls in elderly patients with dementia.
5. Telemedicine health apps make storing your medical information simple.
Instead of using old school paper files like some doctors’ offices still do, health apps can keep all of your information in a single, secure place.
While these apps can help perform tasks like recording vital signs and measuring caloric intake, the fact that they keep such information organized and secure is even more valuable.
