Telehealth Articles

Understanding your patients and the environment around them is vital to the success of a practice or healthcare organization. Having software that can effortlessly gather data and statistics is valuable for maintaining proper patient care and creating service offerings to best serve your communities.

Triage levels indicate the appropriate level of care for each patient depending on the symptoms they are experiencing and their medical history. Determining the appropriate triage level in a quick, effective manor is critical for patient safety, peace of mind, and cost-effective care.

Running a medical call center requires specialized experience especially when the calls include health issues and protected health information.

Schmitt-Thompson released a clinical update addressing the rising use of electronic cigarettes. The CDC is reporting an outbreak of lung injury from smoking e-cigs.

Patients today have more options than ever to receive care outside of their primary care – if they even have one. Having more options may seem like a good thing, however many times the consumer is confused about the best care to address their symptoms. In the process, they end up either over-utilizing services or underestimating serious medical symptoms, creating both a drain to the healthcare system as well as possible threat to their lives.

As temperatures heat up, we often think that patient phone calls decrease due to less cold and flu outbreaks. Yet, triage nurses are surprisingly busy during summer months helping avoid unnecessary ER visits. Many of the issues from patients can be resolved with detailed home care advise and a visit to their doctor. Triage nurses use standardized protocols from Dr. Schmitt and Dr. Thompson to

Telephone triage nurses play a critical role in suicide prevention. They serve as the first point of contact for callers in need of immediate assistance.  The more knowledgeable triage nurses are about treating patients with mental illnesses, the better they are prepared to intervene. According to the CDC, approximately 123 Americans die by suicide every day and the stigma associated with mental illnesses often prevents

Once a triage nurse has done an initial evaluation on a patient there are times when the protocol or circumstances require a physician to get involved. In these instances, it is critical for the nurse to get in touch with the provider on call for the practice to securely and effectively communicate the needs of the patient and requires relaying protected health information securely. Traditionally,

When a medical emergency happens, not everyone calls 911. In a surprising study of patient surveys and disposition outcomes from telephone triage case, as many as one third of adult callers underestimated the seriousness of their symptoms. Even when adults have a sense that their symptom may be serious, there is a stigma of calling for an ambulance. Fortunately, having a triage nurse available increases

The primary goal of the telephone triage process is to deliver safe quality oriented telephone triage partnered with outstanding customer service.  The health safety and wellbeing of the patient is at the forefront of every telephone encounter.  The purpose of the telephone triage process is to assess the patient’s current signs and symptoms, concurrently evaluating their past medical history and current medications.  This patient assessment

By Dr. Ravi Raheja, TriageLogic’s Medical Director and CIO: When a patient has a symptom, determining the appropriate triage level quickly and effectively is critical for several reasons. First, let us clarify what is a triage level? A triage level is the appropriate level of care based on the patient’s symptoms and medical history. Levels usually include dispositions such as call 911, go to the

Accountable Care Organizations, or ACOs, are formed by groups of doctors and other healthcare providers. ACOs aim to encourage providers to decrease patients’ health expenses by taking responsibility for the quality of care provided. By doing so, providers receive a share of the Medicare savings while encouraging better preventive health care for their patients. The question for medical organizations that share on health savings is

Patients today expect their physicians to be available outside of standard office hours, creating higher demands on already busy schedules for doctors.  Studies point to more than half of physicians reporting burnout, as defined as a loss of enthusiasm for work, feelings of cynicism, and a low sense of personal accomplishment. A solution for doctors and hospitals is to develop a team that can assist doctors while providing

Demands for enterprise mobility and flexibility are a new reality in today’s society. Physicians and hospitals need to evaluate how they can leverage technology to meet the needs of patient interaction. Here, we discuss how providing patients with a custom practice mobile app will improve engagement and improve patient health. Studies suggest that healthcare is more efficient and effective when patients are actively engaged in

Introducing the first lesson in the latest course from TriageLogic’s Learning Center, Risks in Telephone Triage. Throughout this course, we will examine the various risks that providers need to consider when triage nurses evaluate patients over the phone. These risks include delay of care, not following protocols, practicing outside the scope of nursing, and improper documentation. In this first lesson on risk, we discuss how telephone

By Marci Lawing, RN Nursing Director We have previously written about the basic qualities required to be a good telephone triage nurse (see article). Once those qualities exist, the nurse is then ready to move on to training to become a great telephone triage nurse.  What does it take to become an effective telephone triage nurse? Training, Training and More Training There are many, many

Triaging patients over the phone is challenging because nurses have limited information available to them. Telephone triage nurses are not able to use touch or visual cues. These nurses have to rely on their years of training, education, and instincts to help them make the right decision every time. Below, I discuss tips to ensure positive triage outcomes for each patient call. Be Objective: As

 Why Telephone Triage Nurses are a Perfect Complement to Telemedicine Telemedicine has been a medical buzzword for several years, and the variety and depth of services provided have grown dramatically during this time. There is little argument that telemedicine is a great way to supplement traditional medical practices. The advantages are clear: more convenient care for patients, more doctor availability, and less driving time and

  Making a Difference at Work- How Corporate Social Responsibility Affects Recruiting and Retaining Employees A guest blog from Continuwell partner Community Health Charities Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is fast becoming a key factor in recruiting and retaining employees for many companies. Today’s workforce is cause-focused; 83% of millennials and 70% of all U.S. employees are more likely to be loyal to companies that help

  The Challenges of Triaging Rashes Over the Phone Though most rashes are harmless, patients and providers would like to be able to diagnose and determine exactly what is causing the rash over the phone. This has become easier as telemedicine technology has evolved to include the ability for patients to send their providers or nurses images from their smartphones, such as the my247Healthcare app

  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

How Triage Nurses Can Help Patients with Diabetes Did you know that 29 million people living in the United States have diabetes?  The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that every five minutes two people die of diabetes-related causes and 14 adults are newly diagnosed. According to the American Diabetes Association, people with diagnosed diabetes have medical expenses about 2.3 times higher than those who

Managing Patient Calls During the Holidays The beginning of the 2017 holiday season is here and many practices are evaluating how they will be managing patient calls during the holidays. Fall can be a busy time for your practice, with the flu and back-to-school colds making their way through your community. Halloween brings its own horrors with patient calls about children throwing up and not

Risks in Telephone Triage Care: A New Learning Center Course Introducing the next course in TriageLogic’s Learning Center, Risks in Telephone Triage. This course will examine the various risks that providers need to consider when triage nurses evaluate patients over the phone. These risks include delay of care, not following protocols, practicing outside the scope of nursing, and improper documentation. All medical professionals practice their

 How Telephone Triage Nurses Handle Patient Emergencies There are many reasons why patients call a nurse triage service. Some call for advice on what to do for acute symptoms, such as mild diarrhea, vomiting, or how to soothe their child that can’t sleep due to a mild cough and stuffy nose. Every telephone triage nurse will eventually have a caller that is experiencing severe chest

Effective telephone triage nurse introductions will help to instantly gain the trust of patients and make sure that they know they will be cared for.

 How Daytime Protocols Help Improve Patient Call Outcomes Every patient interaction starts with a phone call. Often times, patients call their doctor’s office to ask if their symptoms require them to come in. How does your practice ensure that the nurses answering the calls ask all the relevant questions and documents the calls?  Dr. Schmitt and Dr. Thompson have created standardized guidelines that ensure the

 Reduce Unnecessary ER Visits with Telephone Triage Over the years, telemedicine has been gaining acceptance as a means of lowering healthcare costs and decreasing the unnecessary use of the ER.  Telephone nurse triage has become part of the telemedicine solution. By using standardized protocols to advise patients on their symptoms and indicate the appropriate care, triage nurses decrease unnecessary ER visits, resulting in significant annual

 Nurse Triage Help for Patients Who Suffer from Asthma In the U.S. alone 1 in 13 people have asthma. If a patient is experiencing sudden difficulty with airway management, it is vital for them to contact a triage nurse to work through the various interventions. With the triage nurse using her critical thinking skills and protocols, such as the Schmitt-Thompson guidelines, she can guide the

Tips to Decrease Employee Absenteeism and Save on Healthcare Expenses Hospital executives and administration are constantly under pressure to reduce costs without sacrificing patient care. For many, this means cutting labor costs. On average, about 50% of hospital revenue is spent on labor costs. One cost-saving opportunity is to provide staff with an easy to access resource for all of their health and wellness benefits. Providing