Top 10 Tips: How Telemedicine Works
In the current coronavirus crisis, one of the things you may have heard over and over again is telemedicine. Telemedicine, as per the subject matter experts over at frontlineer.com, has enabled doctors to continue seeing their patients, this time online, while still maintaining social distancing to stop the spread of COVID-19. If you have been wondering how it works, then you are in the right place as this article, with the help of the gurus over at frontlineer.com, will look to highlight 10 tips on just that.
What you need
The first thing we need to highlight as far as the topic of how telemedicine works is what is required for one to access the services. As per the gurus over at frontlineer.com, all one needs is a reliable internet connection and a phone, smartphone or computer, that is all. With these, as is seen over at frontlineer.com, you can be able to reach out to your doctor if they offer telemedicine services and get yourself the medical attention you require.
Two modes of delivery
As is also revealed by the folks over at frontlineer.com, another thing that is important to note as far as the topic of how telemedicine works is that there are actually 2 ways through which a telemedicine visit can be delivered. These two ways, as discussed in more detail over at frontlineer.com, are live video conferencing and remote patient monitoring. Through both of these, you will be able to be assessed and attended to while at the comfort of your home.
A patient portal is required
Another thing on how telemedicine works is on how it requires a patient portal. As per discussions on the same over at frontlineer.com, this portal is where the patient registers for the service with a username and password and it is through which they will be able to send and get correspondence such as emails, prescriptions refills and so forth with their doctor or nurse. Your doctor may also send your lab or imaging test results through this portal as well as explain to you what they mean.
The requesting of a visit
Yet another important tip on how telemedicine works is on the how one can be able to request a visit. As is seen over at frontlineer.com, one can either request a visit by calling what is usually a toll-free number and following the prompts given on how to request a visit or going to their online account and doing the same. Once the physician you have reached out to has received your request, they will be able to assess its merits and get back to you if they accept or decline the request, giving reasons for the latter. They could also accept the request but schedule it for a future date.
Signing of a consent form
Next up as far as how telemedicine works is getting the legal ducks in a row, which, as per the gurus over at frontlineer.com, involves the signing of a consent form by the patient once their visit has been accepted and scheduled. This is done to protect all the parties involved, and as the patient, you will be provided with a list of the terms and conditions for the service which you should read carefully before assenting to the service.
Initial diagnostic tests
Once everything has been sorted and your appointment has been given the greenlight, next up on how telemedicine works is on how the initial tests are carried out. As covered over at frontlineer.com, your doctor will now ask you to describe to them the symptoms you have been experiencing, like say headaches, digestive issues, back pain and many others as well as when they started among other things they may ask you. Using their expertise and experience, as well as going through your medical history, they will be able to get an idea of what you are suffering from.
More detailed virtual exams if needed
Next up on the tips of how telemedicine works is on the connected devices that help with diagnosis. As is discussed in detail over at frontlineer.com, telemedicine actually makes use of some connected devices such as digital spirometers among others, to conduct virtual exams and get a more detailed diagnosis of one’s situation.
Decision on treatment
Once the doctor has listened to your symptoms and has carried out the diagnostic tests they needed, the next step on how telemedicine works is making a decision on how you will be treated. Here, they may continue with treatment virtually, where they have instructions on home care and a prescription sent to you, allowing you to get the medication you need as covered over at frontlineer.com, or they may have you come in for an in-office visit if they deem your condition serious enough that you need to come in to be attended to.
Post-treatment
Another tip as to how telemedicine works is on matters post-treatment as your doctor will have to follow up with you regularly to see how treatment is going as is seen over at frontlineer.com. If you suffer from a chronic condition, your doctor will set up patient monitoring for you so that the can regularly check in on your progress. You will also be able to access services for refills for medication when needed, quickly and safely.
Billing
As we discuss how telemedicine works, it is important that we also mention how the billing process works. It is important to point out the billing for these services, as covered over at frontlineer.com, depends heavily on the state with each state having their own regulations as far as telemedicine goes. It is important to set up billing and have the same explained to your patients so that it can be easier to get paid for your services.
This article only begins to scratch the surface as far as this topic goes, and you can get more on this and other related topics by visiting the excellent frontlineer.com.
