5 myths of telehealth

According to a survey by Foley & Lardner, 89% of healthcare leaders expect telehealth to transform U.S. healthcare in the coming decade. To stay competitive and meet patients' expectations for convenience, practices must adopt this new way of delivering care. Many physicians may not yet understand just how the technology can help them grow their practice, how it fits into their workflow or even where to start, but you can’t afford to sit idly by. If that sounds like your practice – what’s holding you back? Here, we break down five common myths of telehealth.

1 – It’s too expensive

At its most basic, you don’t need anything other than a smartphone to start offering telehealth within your practice. With the right partner, you can easily start a telemedicine component for your business without the need for additional apps, special training, webcams, microphones, etc. Plus, as part of a multi-facet patient engagement solution, telehealth, along with text, gives you easy, mutually convenient ways to connect with patients on the phone, no matter where you – or they – may be.

2 – If I can’t get reimbursement, what’s the point?

While you might not be able to receive reimbursement for telehealth services today – by nature of the patient, the service or where you practice – the regulations around reimbursement are rapidly changing. Today’s patients want convenience and they are willing to seek out providers who offer telehealth services. Whether you want to get new patients into your practice or just maintain your current patient base, telemedicine isn’t going away. If you aren’t using it, your competitors probably are. It’s time to get familiar with the technology, seek easy ways to use it to your advantage now, and get your patients and staff familiar with the service so you already have the foundation in place as additional reimbursements opportunities become available. Plus, you position yourself as being more likely to negotiate higher payments when you can show your practice is already seeing improved outcomes.

3 – I don’t have the IT resources for telehealth

Do you have a smartphone? How about your patients? Then, you’ve got all the IT resources you need. Video chat solutions were created with the intention of being easy to use, eliminating the need for special apps or something new to download. If you can make a phone call, you can hold a virtual visit.

4 – My patients won’t use it

According to a study by EY, 54% of patients would prefer to communicate electronically with their providers. Does anyone want more voicemail messages to return? That’s a strong “no” from providers, their staffs and their patients. In fact, about 60% of individuals under the age of 55 say they would consider it “life-changing” or “very useful” to use video chat instead of going for a routine in-person visit with their provider. Numerous studies show that patients want to connect with providers via telehealth. The chances are if your patients aren’t connecting that way with you, they’ll find another provider who does.

5 – I don’t have the time for telehealth

What if the right solution actually saved you time? Does this sound familiar?: Your patient has a follow-up appointment after an orthopedic procedure. They aren’t independently mobile, so getting to your office is a challenge for them. They need to arrange transportation. The day of the appointment, they have to reschedule, so they leave a voicemail at your office to cancel. Your office manager calls them back to reschedule. The patient needs to confirm transportation again. That appointment time doesn’t work, so they have to call again for other openings. A few exchanges later, the appointment is finally back on the schedule. Fast forward a few days, and the patient arrives. All looks well during the visit, but that 15-minute follow-up took hours of staff time, and your office couldn’t backfill the cancelled appointment, so you missed that revenue. You’re out two hours and a few hundred dollars. A seven-minute virtual visit where you talk to the patient from their home actually puts money in your practice through time and dollars.  

Whether you are just starting to learn about telehealth or you are ready to implement it in your practice, the following resources will provide more insight and help guide you on your journey to achieving increased patient engagement and convenience.

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Hear a panel of doctors discuss telehealth and how its helping their practices grow in this on-demand webinar.