How does telehealth work?

For many years now, telehealth has been getting increased attention, especially during the pandemic. Through necessity, we’ve seen and experienced the many real benefits that remote services can offer, especially in the healthcare industry. Let’s take a deeper look into telehealth, how it works, and the main benefits it can bring to medical practices across the country.

Table of contents

• What is telehealth?
• Who can benefit from telehealth?
• How telehealth works?
• Video online appointments
• Additional benefits of telehealth
• What about the security of patients personal data?
• Increased efficiency in the office

What is telehealth?

So what is telehealth? Simply put, telehealth is the delivery of services and health-related knowledge by telecommunication technologies. Telehealth allows for long-distance doctor-patient contact and gives an opportunity for proper clinical care, monitoring, education, advice, and reminders.

It’s important to note that telehealth is a broader concept than telemedicine. It includes not only remote clinical services, but also continuing medical education or provider training.

Who can benefit from telehealth?

The use of new technology makes healthcare accessible to a growing number of people around the world. Telehealth can provide advantages to anyone, but especially to several specific groups of patients. For example, people living in rural areas who don’t have easy access to a healthcare provider. It can also be a helpful solution for elderly patients, people with limited mobility, or those whose medical conditions make traveling inconvenient. Additionally, telehealth can provide help patients that need to see their doctor for regular visits and check-ups. Thanks to remote consultations, they can choose appointments via phone or video, completely eliminating the need for frequent and often costly travel.

How does telehealth work?

Now that we know what telehealth is and who can benefit from it, it’s time to focus on how it works. Before any patient receives professional help from a doctor, they need to schedule an appointment. Nowadays, it’s standard practice to book visits online through a patient portal or by phone. More and more medical offices have started to use the help of professional live receptionists, available 24/7. Thanks to the assistance of teams like WellReceived, doctors can delegate all the administrative work and focus primarily on their patients. Doctor appointments can be conducted live in the office, by phone, or by online video.

Video online appointments

One of the essential features that telehealth provides is the ability to video conference with patients. Online medical consultations allow the doctor to remotely see the patient face-to-face from anywhere with internet access, saving time and money on both sides. It is highly recommended these video calls are performed via secure and professional tools such as Teleport.video provided by WellReceived. Our 1-click video link is entirely unique and extremely easy to use, even by elderly patients that may be unfamiliar with teleconferencing software.

Additional benefits of telehealth

Professional services such as WellReceived don’t stop at taking messages and scheduling visits. Live receptionists can also book follow-ups and check-ups, which is highly beneficial to patients who forget to do this following their initial visit. Medical practices can also offer patients live medical web chats, providing them with instant communication. ChatSupport created by WellReceived helps patients schedule appointments, ask questions, and gather any vital information. Telehealth bridges the gap between individuals and healthcare providers. It gives everyone access to medical help, no matter their preferred method of contact.

What about the security of patients personal data?

Many patients rightly wonder what happens to their personal information after a telehealth visit. They want to know their personal health data is safe. That’s why it’s essential to use secure and reliable software. Another crucial step is to hire staff who have been trained according to The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. At WellReceived, we ensure that each person who works with us knows HIPAA and protects patient privacy.

Increased efficiency in the office

Telehealth can improve patient care, customer service, and the overall efficiency of medical practices. Using innovative technology allows for integration between all crucial tools used in the office, ultimately reducing the number of no-show patients and optimizing the workflow of the entire facility. Doctors are able to see their appointments in real-time, have access to medical information, and use helpful desktop and mobile apps.