Telehealth solutions is becoming a necessity in many health practices around the world. Both patients and doctors are finding that telehealth provides a wide array of benefits. Telehealth is the use of software to enable communication and care between doctor and patient. It used to be that you would buy telehealth services as a standalone product, however, many are now combined with some type of patient management software or other communication software. You can still purchase standalone telehealth solutions but they usually will have integrations for EHR/EMR services, billing, and more.
Telehealth Solutions in Practice
A video chat between a doctor and patient discussing flu-like symptoms would fall under telehealth. A doctor could then prescribe treatment for the patient such as prescriptions. The patient could then pick up the medicine at their convenience. A patient does not have to physically be in the office to receive care. Telehealth is about facilitating communication between patients and medical staff, whether that be a checkup or diagnosis.
There are two main types of telehealth services:
Asynchronous and Synchronous.
Regardless of the type of telehealth services you employ, you’ll most likely have access to a couple of key main features including:
Live Video Chat
This includes video chatting for appointments or check-ins.
Live Messaging
This can include live chat functions and sending images back and forth. This can be useful not only between patient and doctor but between departments in a hospital
Remote Monitoring
Remote monitoring gives doctors and staff to monitor patient health with devices. For instance, a blood pressure cuff could help doctors monitor a patient. You can find our more common types of remote monitoring devices here.
Telehealth Components
Benefits of Telehealth Solutions
There are many benefits for patients and doctors when it comes to telehealth. Some experts even argue that it is a necessity for healthcare moving forward. Whatever your take, here are some of the most common benefits.
Limit Physical Contact
When it comes to preventing the spread of illnesses, one of the best tools the healthcare system has in its arsenal is telehealth services. Telehealth provides doctors the ability to see and diagnose patients from home or work. Thereby preventing the spread of illness among people who would otherwise visit the doctor’s office. This method was crucial to fighting Covid-19 and will continue to have positive impacts on patients seeking more immediate care. Telehealth also provides doctors the tools to conduct screening and gather information for more serious diseases, including checkups for life-threatening illnesses.
While this won’t replace in-person visits, it can help patients have better access to doctors and medical staff.
More Accessible Care
Oftentimes, receiving in-person health care can provide several hurdles such as:
- Getting off work
- Finding a babysitter
- Transportation to the doctor
- Higher copays
- The actual cost of missing work in an hourly job
- And more!
While some of these are inevitable, telehealth provides more accessibility for patients to reach out to doctors and meet with them. Their access to care is simplified for them. Patients don’t to have to spend hours trying to get off work or schedule an appointment. No more running around trying to find a babysitter or trying to get someone to pick up kids from school. Parents can easily get the care they need right at home and on their schedule. Patients can also receive prescriptions for ailments and pick them up on their own time.
Cheaper Costs
On average, telehealth visits are much cheaper. Not only can this technology help patients save money when it comes to copays, but it can help patients avoid costly trips to the ER. If you are looking to save money for your patients, then you should consider incorporating telehealth services.
See Specialists from Far Away
Sometimes patients will sacrifice seeing a specialist because of the distance. The time to commute, see a doctor, and commute back is too much. Not to mention, there is usually an increased cost associated with an in-person visit with a specialist. Telehealth solutions can negate some of the in-person visits while providing routine care for the patient. Telehealth solutions are a great tool for specialists who provides ongoing care for patients.
Features of Telehealth Solutions
Every telehealth solution is going to be different. Additionally, your practice will use telehealth in different ways depending on the care you provide. However, some of the most common features of telehealth solutions include:
- Data & File Storage
- Data & File Transfer
- Video Chat Services
- Live Chat Communications
- Patient Monitoring
- Appointment Reminders
- Digital Patient Waiting Room
- E-prescription
- Medical Billing Integration
- Image Sharing
- Patient Portal
- EHR Integration
There are also telehealth solutions based on certain fields of medicine such as radiology, psychology, and more.
Vendors and Pricing for Top Telehealth Solutions
When it comes to choosing telehealth solutions for your practice there are a ton of choices. Here are some of the best in the market according to Software Advice and Techradar.
| Features | Curogram | Updox | Mend | Doxy Me | AMC Health |
| Type of Software | Practice Management Platform | Healthcare Communications Platform | Telemedicine | Telemedicine | Telemedicine |
| Video Chat | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Billing Integration | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Patient Portal | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Data Transfer | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Text Chat | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| EHR Integration | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Patient Monitoring | ✔ |
Curogram
Curogram is rated as one of the best practice management platforms on Software Advice because it is feature reach. This program empowers organizations with many communication tools and multiple 3rd party integrations. You’ll find features like 2-way texting, mass texting, online payment, referral management, and more in this software. You can find integrations like Epic, Kareo, dr Chrono, and more. Curogram uses custom pricing for its customers based on their needs.
Great for: Large practices looking to simplify their patient communication and telehealth.
Updox
Updox is another communication platform that has a lot to offer. They separate their services into different “packages” so customers can choose a tier that best fits their needs. You’ll find live video, Secure texting & SMS, and an additional product in their lowest band. However, if you are looking to upgrade you can also get features like patient portal, electronic forms, automatic reminders, and more. Updox is about streamlining your communication between patients and staff.
Great for: Small, medium, and large businesses looking to add communication tools to your practice. Also great for those who need select services.
Mend
Mend offers a ton of features for telehealth as well as for patient management. You’ll find your standard feature like live video, text chat, and patient reminders, but other features as well. Features like Attendance Predictor, which uses AI to identify the likelihood of no-shows happenings. You can also do group video conferencing and telepsychiatry software. Mend offers a free telehealth service which does include file sharing, HD video, automatic patient texts and emails.
Great for: Those looking for a free option with the opportunity to upgrade for more features.
Doxy Me
Doxy Me is another free telehealth service clinics can employ. You’ll find many great features here such as live video calls, text chat, end-to-end encryption, and more. Doxy Me is highly rated and is even very affordable if you want to start paying for some extra features. Importantly, Doxy Me would be a great option for small practices that are looking to implement some version of telehealth into their practice. Doxy Me also works in just about every browser, customers don’t need to download any software, unlike other options. You can find plans starting at:
- Free
- Professional: $35/month for individual professionals
- Clinic: $50/month for 2-50 providers
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Great for: Small practices who want a highly rated free telehealth solution.
AMC Health
AMC Health is a premier provider of telehealth services and remote monitoring. If you are looking for an all-in-one solution that addresses multiple features like
- Telemedicine
- Member engagement
- Remote monitoring
- Machine learning solutions
- Chronic care management
- And more!
AMC Health provides clinics with many options to choose from and a full suite of services. Pricing is on a custom quotes basis. Furthermore, you can book a demo to see how the software will implement in your practice.
Great for: Large practices that want many different services.
Which Telehealth Solution Should You Choose?
Every health facility is going to need something different. Not only that, but you may want a system that incorporates multiple features into one within telehealth, such as practice management software. If you are interested in this, 360Connect can help!
360Connect pairs high-quality suppliers with buyers every day. Just fill out our 1-2 minute form and we can help you find the right software to receive your 100% free quotes.
Citation:
Health and Human Services. (2022, March 25). What is telehealth? Telehealth.HHS.gov. Retrieved April 13, 2022, from https://telehealth.hhs.gov/patients/understanding-telehealth/