Consumers are the new payer. And now that they’ve taken on more of the financial responsibility for their healthcare, they’re demanding the same level of service from their healthcare providers as they have in other areas of their lives. They want convenience, easy access to information, and an emphasis on quality.
This has historically been a challenge for our disjointed healthcare delivery system where data exists in silos within organizations. How can providers and clinicians to work together on the patient’s behalf when it’s so difficult to share information like medical history, imaging studies, and test results at the point of care?
Getting patient information often requires clinicians to log into multiple systems to search for the data, or they must manually contact other providers via phone or fax to request the information. These time-consuming processes are frustrating for providers and patients alike and can delay care. Those delays in care can lead to complications, visits to the emergency department, or hospitalizations. The result is higher costs and poorer outcomes.
The challenges of care collaboration and access to information is especially difficult for clinicians providing virtual care to patients located at home or in other care settings. There must be a better way, and there is. It’s called a virtual health platform.
A virtual health platform enables clinicians across the continuum to seamlessly access the information they need within one system. From an EMT responding to an emergency and the staff in an emergency department, or a primary care provider, specialist, and bedside nurse determining a patient’s treatment and care plan, a virtual health platform allows everyone to work together no matter where they’re located.
This type of collaboration and sharing of information reduces the need for multiple assessments and tests since everyone has the same information at every patient encounter. This, in turn, enables more timely, effective care.
Choosing the Right Virtual Health Platform
When choosing a virtual health platform, it is important to look for one that supports multiple use cases. Following are three capabilities that should be included.
Virtual Health Monitoring. The best solutions are those that enable telehealth technology that is simple to implement and easy to use for clinicians, patients, and the patient’s family. For example, clinicians in an emergency department should be able to quickly connect with specialists at the patient’s bedside for timely assessments. Because a virtual health platform allows the specialist to have full access to the timeliest patient information, a diagnosis and treatment plan can be created without waiting for an in-person visit from the specialists.
Streamlined Patient-provider Encounters. Digital tools like a patient-provider portal can facilitate a better care experience. With a virtual health platform, patients can connect with their provider in a secure app on their mobile phone. Be sure to choose a solution that doesn’t require complicated downloads or logins to use the portal. Connecting should be as easy as pushing a single button.
When choosing a virtual health platform, be sure the solution gives providers the ability to access the patient’s record within the app during the patient visit. This reduces the need for the provider to have to take notes and chart the encounter later. The best solutions allow clinicians to order tests and write prescriptions while they’re talking with the patient. This helps improve the patient-provider relationship and ensures timely access to care.
Actionable Insights. One of the greatest values of a virtual health platform is its ability to provide in-depth insight that enables continuous improvements—both operational and clinical. Be sure to look for a solution that offers data analyses on encounters and appointment types. This should include insights into locations, providers, specialties, and top procedure and diagnosis codes. Clinical outcomes analysis should incorporate patient populations and specialties. The best solutions will also provide insight into reimbursement data, revenue and payer mix, as well as reimbursement by provider, payer, diagnosis, and location.
A Platform-enabled Patient-Centric Approach
A virtual health platform is the bridge that closes gaps in care by allowing clinicians across the care continuum to collaborate on a patient’s behalf more effectively. It is important to note, however, that not all platform solutions are alike. Be sure to choose one that delivers fast, easy, and reliable virtual care experiences with streamlined clinical workflows. VidyoHealth is a great choice.
The VidyoHealth Virtual Health Platform optimizes an organization’s existing telehealth technology by augmenting video visits with structured workflows that can stand alone or be fully integrated within their EHR. Because of minimal implementation time and maximum functionality out of the box, health systems can get started quickly and to realize faster return on their investment.
For health systems looking for ways to increase efficiencies and scalability of their direct-to-patient telehealth programs, VidyoHealth’s virtual health platform is the answer.