How to Make Your Telemedicine Services Successful
Recent studies have shown that hospitals, specialty clinics, and other healthcare organizations are no longer leery of telemedicine and are in fact expanding to provide quality services and generate revenue. With this growth and success, there are many telemedicine options available for each unique organization. It is important to be aware of the factors that providers must consider in order to make telemedicine services successful for the patients and the organization.
Telemedicine Adoption
According to the 2017 Foley Telemedicine and Digital Health Survey, more than three-quarters of those surveyed are either currently using or plan to provide telemedicine services to their patients. These results are impressive when compared to their survey just three years ago where 87 percent of respondents did not expect most of their patients to be using telemedicine services by 2017. This survey is comprised of more than 100 senior executives at hospitals, specialty clinics, ancillary services, and related organizations.
*Image courtesy of Foley’s 2017 Telemedicine and Digital Health Survey
Telemedicine ROI
The Foley survey illustrates that telemedicine provides a great opportunity for practices and medical organizations to see a financial return. Over 70 percent of respondents realized cost savings or ROI from their telemedicine services. Nearly a third saw more than 20 percent savings.
Although many companies are seeing a positive ROI, it is important to make sure that the telemedicine service providers choose is right for them. There are a variety of options and choosing the right telemedicine service or software will determine the level of success.
*Image courtesy of Foley’s 2017 Telemedicine and Digital Health Survey
Features to Consider
Type of telemedicine – While people think of telemedicine as mostly doctors available remotely to 
patients, often a telephone triage nurse can resolve patient issues and provide a path to care. TriageLogic studies have found that a triage nurse can resolve three-quarters of all patient calls. Triage nurses can determine which patients need further care or to see a physician, saving both time and money. Organizations can have a complete telehealth system with a triage nurse as the first line of care to further increase ROI.
Integrated – The telemedicine software should be able to integrate seamlessly with current workflows. For example, the recently upgraded myTriageChecklist can be integrated with Salesforce, as well as existing EMR systems or paper charts. To ensure that work is not being doubled by adding a new technology to the mix, the telemedicine software needs to be cohesive and allow data to be easily transferred.
Support – As with any technology, issues may arise. A successful telemedicine service should have training and support available to troubleshoot any concerns. TriageLogic offers unlimited training by a nurse manager and free access to the Triage Nurse Learning Center, which includes relevant lessons on nurse triage.
Adaptive – The only thing that is constant is change, and the medical field is the best example of this. The healthcare industry is always evolving and transforming. Whether it is regulation, new discoveries or inventions, or patient expectations the only way to be successful is to adapt and the telemedicine service and software should do the same. Look for a company that is always listening to their clients and making upgrades to what they need.
Measure Success – The best way to determine the ROI of a telemedicine service is to establish a way to measure its success. Choose a platform, such as TriageLogic’s Call Center Software, that includes different portals for clients to look at data and analyze it.
The telemedicine field has exploded in recent years and doesn’t seem to be stopping. These are only a few factors to consider when implementing or expanding telemedicine services. It is important to do the research to find which solution will be best for the organization.
Are you looking to implement or expand your organization’s telemedicine services? Contact us today to set up a live demo to see if TriageLogic can make your service a success.
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