Telehealth Can Help Reduce High Cost Hospital Visits

In the United States, a renewed interest occurred in telehealth in the 1990s according to McGonigle and Mastrian because of escalating costs, the need for greater access for all

Telehealth is remote exchange of data between a patient and doctor that facilitate in better diagnosis of patients and monitoring typically used to support patients with long term conditions.

Telehealth has become a preferred method of healthcare delivery for many patients and healthcare professionals alike. Some key benefits include its convenience and cost effectiveness. It also allows patients to play a more active role in their own healthcare, which has been found to dramatically increase patient outcomes. While research suggests that the advantages of telehealth outweigh the disadvantages, it is important to note that not everyone would benefit from this form of technology. It is crucial for the patient’s healthcare team to assess if this method of healthcare delivery is appropriate for that individual patient. In today’s society, staying current on the latest technologies is extremely important. Although telehealth

The purpose of this paper is to discuss how technology has impacted the health care delivery system. Health care technology is advancing at an increasingly rapid rate in the United States, and globally. Patients and providers are witnessing these changes through the use of telehealth, and telemedicine applications. Telehealth, and telemedicine are often used interchangeably, however there is a difference between the two applications. Telehealth is the use of technology to deliver health care, health information, or health education at a distance (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.).

monitored by medical professionals. According to McKnight (2012), “Studies indicate patients with telehealth care are noted to have a 25% reduction in the number of inpatient hospital days and a 19% reduction in the rate of hospitalizations” (p. 4).

Many of these barriers exist from lack of essentially knowing the benefits of what the incorporation of telehealth can offer within the aspect of this type of community. At times, there has been a great interest in telehealth surrounding its potential to reduce health care costs along with the improvement of patient outcomes, but at times there has been no known scientific evidence base underpinning it (McLean, Sheikh, Cresswell, Nurmmatov, Mukherjee, Hemmi & Pagilari, 2013).

Telehealth has been a large topic of debate in recent years because of the economic, political, and regulatory points of view. In deciding outcomes in these areas, it is the responsibility of all healthcare professions to identify information gaps in order to come to the more rational and beneficial conclusion about telehealth (Grace, 2014). Economically, there are concerns regarding the access and affordability of telehealth equipment. At the same time, telehealth is being adapted in ways to be utilized with technological devices that many individuals already have access to like telephones, cellular phones, and personal computers/laptops. Telehealth can positively impact both clients and providers by increasing access to care and reducing the time and costs associated with traveling for health care (Allen, Aylott, Loyola, Moric, & Saffarek, 2015). As telehealth develops technological devices can be made more affordable and can be covered by insurance policies (Thomas et al., 2014). Many nurses functioning as case managers can help provide the tools and resources individuals require to manage their health.

daunting task of caring for a rapidly aging and ever expanding population1—the corollary of which is increased need for

UNDERSTANDING TELEHEALTH SECTION 1: Modalities/Models High-risk obstetrical telehealth has been used to provide any number of support diagnostic and ancillary services, including nonstress testing, fetal echocardiograms, hypertension and diabetes counseling and monitoring, and a number of others. Nonstress testing, meaning no stress placed on the fetus, is done by placing a belt with a sensor on the abdomen of the mother to monitor fetal heart rate in response to fetal movement (1). Fetal echocardiograms use ultrasound equipment to evaluate the heart of the fetus and assess for cardiac abnormalities prior to birth. These tests are performed most often in the second trimester and provide a more detailed image than a regular ultrasound and show blood flow, structure, and heart rhythm (2). Each of these test results can then be read in the office or remotely via real time teleultrasounds and video technology. Additionally, common medical complications in high-risk pregnancies, such as hypertension and diabetes, can be remotely monitored through the use of a handheld or wearable device and can also be used as an educational/counseling tool. Increasingly, high-risk obstetrical telehealth is making its way into the home, providing patients the opportunity to increase time in between required clinic visits, replace visits, or offer providers rich data on patients in between appointments. This amazing evolution of high-risk obstetrical care is currently underway and is expected to

“Telehealth changes the location of care by connecting patients and clinicians virtually, in place of the usual face-to-face contact.” (Darkins 2012).

Increasing access to quality health care services is a problem that can be tackled with emerging technology, such as Telehealth. Telehealth is becoming universally essential for efficient, cost-effective delivery of health care across a variety of settings (Bashshur & Shannon, 2010). Telehealth is proving to be an effective tool in combatting the problem of provider shortages as evidenced by rural hospitals starting to provide electronic consultations with specialists all over the country (Betbeze, 2017). Although telehealth technologies were originally aimed at improving access to health care for geographically remote patients, the areas of care being used by telehealth has extended its use well beyond those who are geographically isolated

Telehealth Is Not Cost-Effective - Lack of definitive proof of profitability to those directly responsible for the financial health of organizations is the major stumbling block to widespread adoption of telehealth. The entities resisting the adoption of telehealth the most seems to be physicians, hospital administrators and healthcare payers (Erickson PhD, et al., 2015). Providers simply will not provide telehealth services if they are not adequately reimbursed by payers or allowed by regulators.

Telehealth is the monitoring via remote exchange of physiological data between a patient at home and health care professionals at hospitals or clinics to assist with diagnosis and treatment. As our society ages and health care costs increase, government and private insurance payers are seeking technological interventions. Technological solutions may provide high quality healthcare services at a distance, utilize professional resources more effectively, and enable elderly and ill patients to remain in their own homes. Patients may experience decreased hospitalization and urgent care settings, and out of home care may not be required as the patient is monitored at home. However, no study has been able to prove telehealth

Telemedicine is an innovative way of providing video-visits to patients, and providers for second opinions or supervision of surgical and emergency procedures over distances. The company implementing telemedicine is called “The Partners Healthcare Telestroke Service.” They are primarily focused on the telemedicine initiative to prevent full blown episodes of stroke in patients at risk of ischemic disease. As your IT consultant, I would first start off with a project timeline and research all risks, processes, and implementation strategies. Our vision will be to provide quality care with standardization of clinical workflow and technology. We will provide all clinical and technical expertise in cost benefit analysis of devices, system integration,

Telemedicine is the use telecommunications and information technology to provide healthcare to patients located in the remote or distant locations. For example: people staying in the mountainous areas or islands can get medical services right at their home with the help of smart devices or patients who cannot go to the hospital for some reason.