Telemedicine IS the Game-Changer
A sign that telemedicine is gaining traction is that online discussions about it are popping up in a variety of new places.
One of the more recent discussions appears on the Employee Benefit News web site, ebn.benefitnews.com. Tristan Lejeune posted an article, titled
"Could telemedicine be the game-changer?" Her article focuses on changing patient behavior. But I think telemedicine is doing that already.
Her article cites the history of telemedicine: "There was a doctor 100 years ago who basically transmitted an EKG through a phone." Dr. Alan Roga, CEO of STAT Doctors, provided the historical information as well the predictions for the future. Roga believes that telemedicine has the potential to keep non-life-threatening problems out of emergency rooms. He foresees these patients getting treatment at urgent care centers or via an on-line primary care doctor (his business model).
Among STAT Doctors' clients are Scottsdale Healthcare employees here in Arizona. Scottsdale Healthcare is a multiple facility hospital system. Checking patient satisfaction, the company found that 98% of the hospital workers who've received healthcare telemedically would do it again and would recommend telemedicine to other.
Perhaps in the minds of some, there is the "possibility" that telemedicine might be a game-changer. For those of us who have seen it work day in and day out, providing patients with quality, convenient care, holding down costs to the healthcare system, and saving lives, we're there. GlobalMed doesn't design products without input and feedback from healthcare professionals. They tell us what they need to do their jobs while simplifying workflow. Then we work on developing the devices that enable them do their jobs effectively - seeing to our healthcare that is just as good as what we expect from an in-person visit.