If you are new to using telemedicine, this guide can help you start on the right foot. Here are tips on having a seamless telehealth experience.

Did you recently hear about telemedicine for the first time? Maybe a friend or family member just had their first telehealth experience and told you about it? Perhaps you read an article detailing how telemedicine is changing the healthcare industry?

Whatever the case may be you might want to look to telemedicine for your future doctor visits.

Roxana Zaman, Co-Founder, and COO of maple, a telemedicine startup says over half of the medical diagnoses don’t require a hands-on in-person consultation.

Zaman also says Canada has one of the best healthcare systems in the world but, they rank poorly when it comes to timely access to healthcare. Keep reading to learn how to get the best telehealth experience for you and your family.

1. Be Prepared

You should prepare for a telemedicine appointment pretty much the same way you’d prepare for an in-office visit.

Know what you’re going to wear, know where you’re going to make the call from, preferably an office space or quiet room, make sure your internet is running smoothly and your computer is charged.

Let anyone staying in your home know that you need at least 20 minutes of quiet time and not to disturb you unless it’s an emergency.

Taking these steps will help you utilize your short consultation time wisely. It will also allow your doctor to better diagnose you.

2. Remove Distractions

When doctors are talking to patients over a telehealth call the last thing they want to deal with is annoying distractions. If you’re distracted they’ll be distracted and the quality of your consultation will suffer for it.

Turn off your cell phone. Don’t have other tabs open to tempt you to browse the internet during your session.

Make sure the TV and radio are off, keep pets outside of the room, and if you have to use your phone to conduct the consultation make sure it’s in “do not disturb” mode.

3. Virtual Check-In

A virtual check-in should be conducted before your online office visit. This includes sending over any attachments or images the doctor might need to see beforehand.

Also, make sure you’re established with a provider and provider billing information is correct. If you don’t take care of these little things before the telehealth meeting you’ll most likely have to reschedule and who knows when that will be. 

4. Try Setting up E-Visits

E-visits are actually the most common type of telehealth meetings. They do require a provider-patient relationship to already have been established.

But, these are great for patients because it’s up to them to reach out and set up the meeting when it’s convenient.

This is done simply through the patient portals that have already been set up. In most cases, your co-insurance and deductibles will apply to these services.

From the Doctor’s Perspective

We went over four ways a patient can prepare for a seamless telehealth experience, so now, let’s talk about how doctors can make these consultations turn out better.

It’s always best when the doctor and patient work together as a team to get the best result. This is also good for patients to read because if their doctor isn’t doing these things the patient might want to look elsewhere.

5. Prepare for Technical Problems

The number one reason a telemedicine meeting doesn’t go well is because of technical issues. When they happen, it pushes everything back and the whole day of scheduling might be compromised.

It may even bleed into other days of the week depending on how many appointments you have.

Medical providers should communicate with their patients (especially older ones) to make sure they’re comfortable using certain technologies.

You don’t want to spend 10 minutes of a 15-minute consultation trying to help a patient click a link or figure out how to open a window etc.

Practitioners should also make sure they have the right equipment and a very strong internet connection that you can rely on. One simple trick is using an ethernet connection for your office.

6. Prepare Your Patients

Making sure your patients are prepared is part of your job too. Remember when you schedule online visits, that many patients are shifting from in-person to online visits for the first time.

According to this Sykes survey, over 40 percent of patients felt uncomfortable dealing with doctors they’re unfamiliar with or haven’t met yet.

The survey was taken during the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic when people were first having to switch from in-person to telemedicine care.

Healthcare providers need to take this to heart and be with the patient on the journey before and after the virtual visit. The emphasis on this has to be bigger than it was in the past if you want to get the full benefits of telemedicine. 

You want to ease patients’ apprehensions when providing telemedicine services as well. You can do this by ensuring all staff is trained properly to administer every telehealth service.

Also, doctors should practice doing telehealth conferences so they feel comfortable during consultations.

7. Communication

Even though telemedicine is becoming more popular, a vast majority of people don’t know it exists. Or at the very least, they don’t know their doctor is capable of offering it.

Notify each patient of the different medical services you provide and that telemedicine is an option for them. Let them know what telehealth looks like and how it can benefit them.

8. Figure Out What Works

Telehealth can drastically improve the quality of life for many patients. But, some patients may actually need an in-person visit. It’s your job to figure out which is best for them.

For instance, if a patient is doing rehab therapy on a separated shoulder or torn meniscus, you can guide them through these exercises virtually. On the other hand, if a patient needs a spinal adjustment, they need an in-person visit.

The Best Telehealth Experience for All

At the end of the day, doctors and patients can work together to get the best telehealth experience for everyone. Both sides can take these steps to get the best results.

Contact us to schedule a telemedicine appointment today.