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The rise of telemedicine consulting has been meteoric over the last two decades, with patients benefitting from more accessible, convenient healthcare and physicians benefitting from patients seeing better outcomes as a result. With this burgeoning trend showing no signs of reversing, there’s a need for a new type of consultant who can help doctors manage their telemedicine infrastructure: the telemedicine consultant.

Recent surveys have shown that as many as 75% of patients want to begin taking advantage of telemedicine access and 90% of physicians report that they have already incorporated telemedicine into their practices to some extent.

But how do providers choose the telemedicine system that meets their needs? Telemedicine systems must be HIPAA-compliant, reliable, easy for both providers and patients to use, simple for a doctor’s office staff to learn, and yet it should seem sleek and modern in order to elicit full confidence from patients. We must also remember that this system should be affordable enough that physicians can incorporate it without bearing too much of a financial burden at the outset. With this specific and lengthy list of requirements, it can be daunting for busy physicians to take the time to research and select the telemedicine system that is right for them.

Telemedicine consulting companies can meet with physicians either remotely or in person in order to learn about the physician’s practice and telemedicine requirements. Once the telemedicine consultants have determined which secure, professionally-vetted systems are the best fit for the physician and the physician chooses the system they prefer, the consultants will also provide assistance and guidance throughout installation and implementation. Rather than losing valuable time trying to learn and troubleshoot a new system, physicians and their staff will be able to fully rely on their consultants to guide them through each phase of the process.

Once the new system has been installed and implemented, the consultants will also train the physician’s staff to teach patients how to use the simple, secure system. While occasionally elderly patients will have a bit more of a learning curve to overcome, most patients find these systems very simple to use. Today most patients already own smartphones, tablets, and laptops, and they use the internet throughout most days. For these patients who are used to installing and signing on to new apps and websites, learning to log on to their telemedicine portal app or window will present no issue at all.

Once patients are fully ready to schedule appointments via telemedicine, the following patients may be able to use remote appointments for most of their visits:

• Patients who are chronically ill
• Patients with limited mobility
• Parents of children with minor childhood illnesses
• Patients with diabetes
• Patients with allergies
• Patients with urinary symptoms
• Patients with common skin conditions like acne, eczema, dandruff, and sun damage
• Psychiatric patients

These patients usually don’t need to be seen in the office for their routine appointments, and will benefit from the convenience and ease of use associated with telemedicine appointments.

Image by NEC Corporation of America - licensed under CC 2.0