Uses of Telehealth during COVID'19 

The COVID'19 pandemic has made telehealth an essential tool in the fight against the virus. In the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act (CPRSA), the importance of telehealth during COVD'19 is further stressed by easing some of the regulations around it. This was accomplished by adding 80 additional services under the umbrella of telehealth. COVID'19 has caused the use of telehealth to go up from 11% to 49% in just one year. Healthcare providers have reported receiving around 50 times more patients through telehealth sessions than they did before the pandemic. 

While the search for the vaccine continues, it is likely that the prevalence of telehealth will keep increasing for the next few years. The shift towards telehealth has accelerated, thanks to the convenience of platforms such as SmartClinix, and its accessibility for people who cannot afford to leave their houses amidst the pandemic. SmartClinix focuses on providing a complete clinical visit experience, not just the audio and visual aspects of it. Following are a few of the ways telehealth is being used during COVID'19: 

Online consultations with COVID’19 patients

Frontline workers, such as doctors and other medical health employees, are at an increased risk of getting infected with the virus. Telehealth allows these professionals to monitor the symptoms of patients from a distance. This plays a huge part in avoiding the further spread of the virus. If these patients were to visit the doctor for in-person sessions, they would risk infecting other people on their way. [1]

Caring for high-risk patients with diseases other than COVID’19

Patients who would be at high risk in case they get COVID'19, such as those suffering from pre-existing medical conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, should take particular care when maintaining social distancing. Telehealth allows all such patients to safely consult their doctors in a completely remote and private manner. SmartClinix allows seamless, high-quality video communication between both parties with the option of accessing all previous records of the patient from the telemedicine EMR and patient management portal.  

Scheduling tests

SmartClinix has made ordering lab tests for doctors very convenient. SmartClinix speeds up the process significantly. The earlier the public gets their COVID'19 test results through the patient portal, the faster they are in taking the necessary precautions to help stop the spread of the virus. Without such an option, getting test results could take up to several days, during which the COVID'19 patients could unknowingly be spreading the virus further.

Educating the masses 

Telehealth helps in spreading news regarding the virus at a much faster pace. There are thousands of blogs from credible sources that contain everything you need to know about COVID'19. From the symptoms to the necessary courses of action, alerts can be enabled on devices that allow you to keep yourself updated regarding any new SOPs or virus hot-spots.

Apps for recording symptoms

Several apps are available online that allow patients of COVID'19 to record their symptoms before they consult their doctors. These apps help medical health professionals better understand the severity and progression of the virus in the patient, allowing them to treat them accordingly in a more efficient manner

Online pharmacies

These pharmacies allow customers to place their orders of medical supplies right from the comfort of their homes. Such services reduce the need for physical pharmacies and allow the public to practice SOPs. In case of an emergency, online pharmacies can be particularly convenient, with a lot of them offering same-day deliveries to their customers.

Reaching low-access patients

SmartClinix believes that quality healthcare is the right of every American. Telehealth services have the potential to significantly increase access to healthcare for rural and low-income areas in the country. By partnering with Pioneer Medical Foundation, SmartClinix works tirelessly in providing its free services to the refugee, uninsured, underinsured, and homeless population of the country. All patients of Pioneer Medical Foundation need to do is access the website and begin their journey to quality healthcare with SmartClinix.

Devices for monitoring vitals

Technology enables patients to use devices that directly transmit the results to their doctors without requiring the patient to read or interpret the result. Direct transmission of the readings reduces the chances of recording incorrect ones when the patient uses the device to measure lung health or blood pressure. 

With more and more patients embracing technology, it is evident that telemedicine is here to stay even after the end of the pandemic. As patients demonstrate increasing levels of comfort with using technology, the number of people opting for telemedicine in place of traditional in-person consultations has reached unprecedented levels.