Telemedicine: What's Next?

Dec 28, 2021

Telemedicine. Once an afterthought in healthcare (seen as an inconvenience due to lack of insurance coverage) not only is now the norm, it’s expected by patients and providers alike. Much like remote work has become the standard for business professionals, healthcare providers in a job search want to know how your facility embraces telemedicine. So now that it’s the norm, what can we expect from telemedicine in the future? 

It may play a role in addressing burnout.

Consider the following data from a Medscape burnout survey:

  • 56% said too many bureaucratic tasks (charting, paperwork) contribute to burnout and 39% contributed burnout to spending too many hours at work. 
  • 31% said more manageable work schedule/call hours would reduce burnout.

The common denominator with burnout is time. Physicians are busier than ever and want employers to empower them to spend more time at home and less time at work. Thanks to virtual visits and telemedicine progressing quickly during the pandemic, there’s far more technology available to make “working from home” a little more accessible for doctors. So what’s the future of telemedicine? Physicians being empowered and encouraged to complete more work at home and spend less time burning out in-office.

Primary care will become more proactive.

Primary care focuses on a patient’s day-to-day health in order to help providers address health concerns as early as possible. But consider that, among 30-year-olds, only 64% have a primary care physician. As younger generations avoid regular doctor visits, healthcare providers have become more reactive to the way they’re able to treat patients. But with telemedicine, we could finally see a switch to proactive primary care. 

One study found that virtual visits are scheduled, on average, 50% sooner than in-office visits. This, combined with the knowledge that timely healthcare is associated with better health outcomes, shows how impactful telemedicine could be. 

As telemedicine integrates with in-office care, our entire approach to healthcare will shift with it. Despite being ignored in the past, virtual visits will inevitably become a normal part of seeing the doctor. What you need to ask yourself is, “How is my facility preparing for increased telemedicine demand?” As you begin hiring more providers to fill this need, consider one of Inline’s multiple platform options, designed to meet your facility’s unique sourcing needs.

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