EMR Benefits: Telehealth
Telehealth
Integrating EMRs with telehealth can improve the scope of telehealth and boost its benefits. Some benefits are:
- It can increase the access of healthcare to remote, underserved and rural areas
- It can address the shortage of healthcare providers. Primary care physicians and specialist consultants can serve patients remotely
- It can ensure continuity of care without increasing number of hospital visits.
For example, Texas prison system successfully combined a statewide EMR system with Telemedicine system of UTMB, which resulted in improved healthcare delivery for the inmates as well as huge savings for the state. [1]
Telehealth has become very popular due to the rural patients that can start receiving specialty services at their local communities. Some of the services rural hospitals can provide are trauma, stroke and intensive care. The adoption of Telehealth also supports clinical education programs. It allows easy communication between rural clinicians and specialists. Continuing education will also be easily accessed by rural healthcare providers. [1]
In one paper Telehealthcare showed to improve blood glucose checking by individuals with diabetes and resulted in the study participants to have tighter glycemic control, this may result in more widespread adoption of such technology for diabetes management. [2]
Telehealth Applications In Mental Health Services
- A study of mental health services conducted by New England Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN1) in 2013 indicated that telemedicine services provide financial benefits that outweigh the cost of implementation [3] Telemedicine reduced costs in the following areas: travel time reimbursement, clinical operations, staff salaries, and staff training. Individually these savings are small, but collectively they are significant
- A multi-attribute analysis of VISN1 telemedicine services showed additional qualitative improvements [4]. The qualitative benefits include: increased patient satisfaction, fewer no-shows, decreases wait time, decreased unnecessary referrals, decreased hospitalizations (26.6%), and decreased days in the hospital. While these benefits are not tangible, they add to the total value of telemedicine program implementation in the area of mental health.
- In another study, telemedicine relieved the burden on mental health services in rural communities by reducing travel time, cost of services, and number of missed appointment [5]. Patients in rural committees also highly rated telehealth services and expressed willingness to use these services again.
References
- ↑ name="Telehealth">Benefits of Telehealth / Telemedicine? http://www.setrc.us/index.php/what-is-telehealth/benefits-of-telehealth-telemedicine/
- ↑ Chen, L., Chuang, L.M., Chang, C.H., Wang, C.S., Wang, I.C., Chung, Y., Peng, H.Y., Chen, H.C., Hsu, Y.L., Lin, Y.S., Chen, H.J., Chang, T.C., Jiang, Y.D., Lee, H.C., Tan, C.T., Chang, H.L. & Lai, F. (2013). Evaluating Self-Management Behaviors of Diabetic Patients in a Telehealthcare Program: Longitudinal Study Over 18 Months. Journal of Medical Internet Research; 15(12):e266. http://www.jmir.org/2013/12/e266/
- ↑ Moore, M., Moreschi A., Rieger K., & Vardaro M. (2013). Return on investment analysis of the VISN1 telehealth program. Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Retrieved from: https://www.wpi.edu/Pubs/E-project/Available/E-project-121813-160755/unrestricted/MQP_Telehealth_ROI_and_Overall_Benefit_Analysis_FINAL_VERSION.pdf
- ↑ Moore, M., Moreschi A., Rieger K., & Vardaro M. (2013). Return on investment analysis of the VISN1 telehealth program. Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Retrieved from: https://www.wpi.edu/Pubs/E-project/Available/E-project-121813-160755/unrestricted/MQP_Telehealth_ROI_and_Overall_Benefit_Analysis_FINAL_VERSION.pdf
- ↑ Benavides-Vaello, S., Strode, A., & Sheeran, B. (2013). Using technology in the delivery of mental and health substance abuse treatment in rural communities: A review. Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 40(1), 111-120.
