According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 53% of American adults estimated that the COVID pandemic had a negative effect on their mental health. Looking at the data that we’ve collected during the pandemic from our nurse triage service, we begin to see a clear picture. In this article, we deep dive into the data that show us how COVID cases have impacted collective mental health.
In this issue of Care News, you’ll hear from our CEO Dr. Charu Raheja about the lessons we’ve learned from COVID and how we plan to move forward. You will also hear from our Medical Director Dr. Ravi Raheja about the exciting new world of remote patient monitoring. Along with a few words from our new partnership with Analog Devices, you will be updated on important information in the remote nurse triage world!
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased telemedicine visits as patients and doctors try to stop the spread of infection. The CDC reports that telemedicine visits increased by more than 50% during the first months of the pandemic. Triage nurses can work closely with doctors to provide a safe and effective way to direct patients to the appropriate level of care and help save lives.
TriageLogic has collected data from nurse triage call centers and studied how patient behavior and use of telephone nurse triage services may have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nurse triage can save money by reducing the need for unnecessary ER visits, which are costly in terms of resources and money. Each ER visit costs about $2000. Unnecessary ER visits also increase strain on healthcare systems, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when hospitals are already overburdened.
Nurse triage has the potential to save patient lives. Patients often don’t know what symptoms may be signs of serious medical problems. Using a set of standardized protocols, telephone triage nurses assess patient symptoms and determine which ones are most serious and may need immediate medical attention.
Triage Logic has a new triage nurse learning center course available on remote patient monitoring (RPM). The course explores the following: a. What is RPM; b. the benefits of an RPM system to both the patient and the provider; and c. how can doctor offices implement a program with minimum staff time by using both clinical and non-clinical contact centers.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to underscore the need for telephone medicine, medical call centers can play a crucial role in improving the patient experience and quality of care while containing costs.
Ravi saw that technology could be used to improve medical care and created several systems and platforms to help integrate and coordinate patient care. He has used his medical training and expertise in complex technology to create efficient systems that make quality care consistent and available to more people.
MyTriageChecklist helps nurses determine the most appropriate level of care when patients call with symptoms. It is a web-based, safe, and efficient solution for organizations looking to increase their quality of patient care and save on healthcare costs.
