As the global healthcare sector is fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic, most patients are finding it difficult to access on-time care due to the availability of limited resources. While others avoid in-person visits for fear of exposure to the coronavirus.

For those who suffer from chronic disease, the failure to access care on time can lead to high health risks. To avoid this kind of negative outcome, healthcare organizations are seeking better ways to provide safe care to their patients with chronic conditions. Here comes the crucial role of telehealth in chronic care management. Healthcare providers can securely manage the patient’s chronic conditions from a distance with the help of smart digital tools, which ultimately reduce in-person visits.

The Crucial Role Of Telehealth In Chronic Care Management

Telehealth Provides Better Access To Specialized Care

With around 57 million Americans presently living in a rural region, numerous patients across the nation need healthcare access. They may need to drive significant distances to see their essential healthcare provider, which will in general be hard to come by in rural areas. Patients with a chronic condition will in general experience more difficulty going significant distances to see a healthcare provider.

But with the help of telehealth in chronic care management, patients can relate with physicians from their comfort place. This automatically increases access to specialized care by eliminating travel expenses and lowering healthcare cost. A few patients may experience high health risks if they fail to visit their physicians consistently, but telemedicine makes it very easier for patients to get care on time.

RELATED: CHRONIC CARE MANAGEMENT: HOW IT BENEFITS YOUR PRACTICE?

Telehealth Helps To Monitor The Chronic Conditions Of Patients

In addition to medication and different types of therapy, patients living with chronic conditions may need to change their way of life on the off chance that they need their condition to improve. This may include changes in diet, stopping smoking, and getting more exercise. However, when left to their gadgets, a few patients may experience difficulty finishing these sorts of treatment regimens, which implies their conditions, will just decline.

But when healthcare providers can remotely monitor a patient’s chronic condition with the help of the telehealth software, they will easily come to know whether the patient is following the treatment guidelines correctly.

If a patient has not been getting enough exercise, the physician might connect with the patients via digital tools to see how their weight has changed. Specialists can utilize digital healthcare devices and live video/audio to rapidly remind patients to take their medicine, practice good healthy habits, or discover approaches to remain dynamic, improving the patient’s chances of recovery.

Telehealth Easily Tracks New Symptoms In Chronic Patients

Patients with chronic conditions may experience new symptoms from time to time. This might be a minor concern, a sign their condition is disintegrating, or the beginning of another new chronic condition. A few patients may decrease to talk with their physicians about this new symptom until their wellbeing gets worse, particularly if they need to travel long for an in-person visit.

With the help of telehealth in chronic care management, patients can contact their healthcare professional quickly and discuss their new symptoms in real-time. The specialist will at that point either suggest an adjustment in treatment or urge them to visit a nearby clinic in case of any emergency. This ensures the patients will receive quality care on a timely basis.

RELATED: TELEHEALTH – THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE

Telehealth Ultimately Reduces Hospital Readmissions

Patients with chronic illness represent 81% of all hospital admissions, which is considered to the expensive part of healthcare access. With the help of telehealth software, patients can easily monitor the patient’s condition remotely. This ultimately reduces the chances of being readmitted to the hospital.

This also saves the cost of care for both healthcare providers and patients.  Specialists can utilize telemedicine to ensure patients are staying aware of a certain way of life changes, answer inquiries concerning prescription, and provide consultation to new chronic symptoms quickly to reduce hospital readmission rates.

Final Thoughts

The implementation of telehealth in chronic care management can improve the health care of patients by keeping them in touch with their physicians in real-time. With the use of telehealth in today’s digital healthcare world, people may find it difficult to access quality care on time in a secure manner. Understanding these real-time benefits of telehealth will help you to adapt to the new digital technologies to deliver quality care to your patients.  

To learn more about implementing a telehealth software for your practice, contact us today.