Remember the Jetsons? Created over 60 years ago, the Jetsons cartoons predicted many futuristic technologies—including video telemedicine. But while digital healthcare emerged in the animated Orbit City decades ago, it would take a COVID-19 pandemic to propel telemedicine into the real world. Now, as we watch COVID shrink in the rearview mirror, do the advantages of telemedicine still hold up?
Telemedicine closes gaps in healthcare
- Time savings. Visiting your doctor virtually means taking less time off work and using fewer vacation or sick leave days.
- Covering long distances. If you live in a rural area, you’re likely a long way from the nearest specialty clinic or hospital. Online healthcare visits bring the provider to you, saving you time and hassle.
- Bringing convenience. You can often see a doctor on demand at a time that works for you, instead of having to wait weeks for an appointment. Plus, you don’t have to drive through traffic, search for a parking space, or sit in a stuffy waiting room.
- Making up for shortages. Physician shortages mean waiting longer to see a doctor—especially in underserved areas. Telemedicine is bridging this gap.
Telemedicine contributes to better health outcomes
- Getting treatment faster. Telemedicine can prevent delays in care, which is huge when you consider that delays in care can lead to increased or worsened symptoms. With telemedicine, the wait to see a provider is often just minutes.
- Raising health standards. For certain medical conditions, telemedicine produces improved health outcomes and does so at a lower cost.
- Avoiding sickness. During the cold and flu season, patients can avoid going into crowded waiting rooms and being exposed to viruses that are easily spread.
- Finding experts. Telemedicine can easily put patients in contact with experts from various subspecialties who would normally be difficult to connect with.
Easy-access, Low-profile health care
When appointments are easy to get to, patients are more likely to show up to them—and it’s hard to beat the convenience of simply picking up your phone to visit your doctor.
Plus, if you have a sensitive condition, seeing an online doctor can feel less embarrassing than seeing someone in person.
Telemedicine lowers costs for patients
- Saving money. The cost of seeing a doctor virtually is usually lower than the cost of an in-person visit. Data from Cigna Healthcare shows that a routine healthcare visit is $93 less than the average in-person visit. And a virtual urgent care visit can save you $140 or more when compared to paying for a trip to an urgent care clinic.
- Cutting travel costs. Telemedicine eliminates the costs of traveling to a physical location: the gas, parking, wear and tear on your car, pricey meals, and for those who travel long distances to see a specialist, the cost of hotel rooms. For patients dealing with chronic conditions, this can make a significant difference.
Where can I receive care via telemedicine?
QuickMD can treat a wide range of health concerns via telemedicine—any day of the week. Contact us today to get fast access to a provider, wherever you are.
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External Sources Referenced:
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Barbosa W, Zhou K, Waddell E, Myers T, & Dorsey, E.R. (2021). Improving access to care: telemedicine across medical domains. Annu Rev Public Health. 2021;42:463-481. doi: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-090519-093711
Cigna Healthcare. Convenient, cost-effective, and high-quality virtual care is here to stay. 2023. https://newsroom.cigna.com/convenient-cost-effective-and-high-quality-virtual-care-is-here-to-stay
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Rock Health. Consumer adoption of digital health in 2022: moving at the speed of trust. 2023. https://rockhealth.com/insights/consumer-adoption-of-digital-health-in-2022-moving-at-the-speed-of-trust/
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