The COVID-19 pandemic has elevated awareness and interest in remote patient care, and there are many terms that describe it.

Telehealth refers to a broader scope of remote healthcare services including provider training, administrative meetings, and continuing medical education, while telemedicine refers specifically to remote clinical services using telecommunications technology. Telemedicine, remote patient monitoring (RPM), and other virtual care capabilities are becoming more standard service offerings for many providers. These remote patient care services can help improve the overall care experience by establishing additional touchpoints, reducing the cost of visits, and enabling greater scheduling flexibility. For those serving chronic care, immobile, and geriatric populations, these capabilities can provide even greater opportunities for enhancing the overall quality of care.

Implementing telemedicine provides a simple way to extend and improve continuity of care. Using secure, peer-to-peer connections via web, phone, or mobile application, you can engage with patients wherever they are, whenever they need you. The ability to conduct visits remotely can also expand the geographical reach of your services, which can be particularly beneficial for practices and residents located in rural and suburban areas.

RPM expands care capabilities outside of the traditional office environment by capturing vitals. It is an ideal solution for observing chronic care patients and those recovering from surgical procedures prone to postoperative complications.

For practices that provide in-patient care services, virtual care services can help reduce the duration of stays, helping free up bed space for others. These capabilities enable practices to further expand reach, gather actionable data, and increase the revenue potential of the practice.

Download our latest white paper, “Prepare for a revolution in the patient experience: Consumerization trends defining the future of healthcare,” to learn more about remote patient care and applying telemedicine technology to your service offering.

Check out our previous posts on the importance of provider reputation and convenient scheduling, and watch for additional posts in this series that discuss other common expectations of today’s healthcare buyers, including collaborative care profiles and transparent billing.