In 2020, providers were scrambling to find a contact-free way to treat patients who did not require a physical exam. It was the wild west as providers, insurance companies, and patients were unsure of this new way of delivering care and overwhelmed by choosing between the best telemedicine companies to find a solution that met their needs.
That was then; today, telemedicine is here to stay, and the list of the best telemedicine companies has continued to grow. More providers have embraced this alternative way of practicing medicine and have realized the myriad of benefits telehealth can provide far beyond a remote patient visit. But the problem still persists: How does one choose the right solution when looking at the best telemedicine companies on the market?
If you’ve been considering adding a telehealth platform to your onsite services, it’s easy to be overwhelmed as you search through the best telemedicine companies to find the best fit for your practice and your patients.
VidyoHealth is here to help guide your decision.
Determine Your Needs
The first step is to evaluate your needs as a practice. A psychiatric practice has different requirements than a pediatrician’s office, and in-home care differs vastly from urgent care.
What types of services do you need? What are the needs of your patients? Is it appropriate that you see them in their homes so you can identify opportunities for early intervention, manage chronic conditions, and make it easier for patients to access care? Do you want to offer virtual care to post-acute patients to improve their compliance for better outcomes? Is it essential that the patients’ families and multidisciplinary teams be informed of treatments?
And what do your patients want? Are they comfortable with virtual visits? Would they prefer not to leave their home for any number of reasons? Do they need to be monitored for falls, medication schedules, or chronic conditions?
These are just a few primary considerations when choosing from the list of telemedicine companies, but there are other facets, such as EHR integration, customization, cross-system needs, and pricing (and don’t forget HIPAA).
Decide if You Need a Telemedicine App
Now that you have your needs listed, consider the value of a fully-functional telemedicine service. Will telehealth allow you to expand your services? Will it help you offer better care? Will it get patients more involved in their care? If telemedicine is a “nice to have” instead of a “must-have,” you may want to consider a telecommunications company such as Zoom or GoToMeeting that doesn’t offer integration and other services, rather than a telemedicine company dedicated to providing specialized support.
Explore the Features of the Best Telemedicine Companies
Now that you know telemedicine is right for you, your next step is to explore the features of leading telemedicine companies to see how well each meets your needs. You may be tempted to search for “best telehealth companies” or “top telemedicine companies” only to discover teleconferencing services, such as Zoom, Skype, Webex, etc. These services scrambled to become HIPAA-compliant but offer little regarding services and solutions for true telehealth.
A telemedicine company with a broader range of services allows for more consumer- or patient-centric Telemedicine. You want to work with a company such as Vidyo designed to meet the needs of providers and healthcare systems with technology features such as high-quality streaming yet designed to be simple to use for patients, particularly seniors or those who aren’t fluent in English.
There are other options to consider as well.
HIT Integration and Cross-System Compatibility: Vidyo is designed to integrate with your EHR, medical devices, and even software endpoints running off-the-shelf software. It seamlessly integrates with technologies across your continuum, so you don’t have to build and maintain multiple technology integration points with various vendors.
Telemedicine Room Experiences: Vidyo Health VideoConnect empowers patients to be self-sufficient in joining video visits and enables families to be engaged in hospitalized patients’ care. The VidyoConnect Medical Cart Experience streamlines workflows for practitioners to perform virtual rounds, remote ICU monitoring, and multidisciplinary consults.
HIPAA Security: Vidyo VidyoConnect is fully HIPAA compliant. Vidyo does not store or access protected health information (PHI) of users on our healthcare cloud services and will sign HIPAA-compliant business associate agreements.
Scalability: The face of telehealth is ever-changing and evolving. Vidyo is scalable and grows with your practice.
Get a Demonstration
Nothing compares to seeing a product in use, except perhaps seeing it in your organization. VidyoHealth demonstrates our platform to include both the provider and patient experience. Book a Demo Today.
Start Your Journey with VidyoHealth
Now that you have a better idea of what you need and what’s available, it’s time to get started. Reach out to VidyoHealth, one of the leading telemedicine companies in the industry, to speak with a team member. Who then will guide you through the telemedicine experience, answer your questions, and even set up a test run for your staff. We’re here to answer any questions about telehealth and how VidyoHealth can enhance your practice.