What Is Technology Affordable Healthcare System?

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

Telemedicine is relatively new to the healthcare industry and it has come about by providers taking advantage of the technology available to them today and the advancements of what we have at our fingertips. The use of Telemedicine generally means an inpatient in a hospital will receive a quicker evaluation and treatment for a stroke, or a patient at home with a fever and apparent strep throat will not have to come in to a clinic to be seen in person. It is no secret that American’s are busier now than they have ever been and with the use of Telemedicine patients are able to get quicker care by a professional. Throughout this paper we will look at many facets of Telemedicine from an inpatient in a hospital to a busy mom with a nagging sinus infection who both need

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.).

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.

Qualitative reports on 12 peer reviewed articles were researched through the University of Maryland to get information on the cost effectiveness, clinical efficacy, individual and provider satisfaction. The 12 articles printed dates ranged from 200 and 2014. The articles represented articles that have been published on the topic of telemedicine subject in various areas. The review articles began with searching the database looking for articles on telemedicine and found a possible 100 articles on the topic and were narrowed down to just a few dozen that fit the standards the matter was searching for.

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

The need to achieve the triple aim established by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, of improved patient outcomes and access to care and cost savings to the health care system motivates healthcare organizations to implement telehealth services or expand their virtual services. Hospitals are implementing telehealth to avoid unnecessary visits and give patients, most especially in rural areas, easier and faster access to medical care (Aston, 2015, p. 22). The use of telehealth has the potential to improve the quality of care, health outcomes, and patient satisfaction and lower health care costs if use appropriately (Grube, Kaufman, Clarin, & O’Riordan, 2016, p.43). This paper will discuss about telehealth, the benefits of telehealth and the barriers to telehealth adaptation.

Telemedicine has provided better access to health care to many individuals that would otherwise not be able to get required health care services. Telehealth is a means to improve access to care, while reducing costs of transportation and increasing accessibility to patients in obtaining care. Telemedicine allows for healthcare information to be shared with treatment team members that are separated miles from each other with the ability to communicate in a timely manner. For information technology to impact care, one has to be knowledgeable about the use of technology

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

The use and applications of telehealth services have expanded over the past decade, along with the role of technology in improving and coordinating care. Telehealth has improved capabilities to reduce travel time, increase access to specialty care, and improve patient safety, quality of care, and provider support.1 Traditional models of telehealth involve care delivered to the patient at a series of originating (or spoke) sites from a specialist working at a distant (or hub) site.

The purpose of telemedicine is to remove distance as a barrier to health care. While telehealth is an accepted resource to bridge the gap between local and global health care, integrating telehealth into existing health infrastructures presents a challenge for both governments and policy makers (HRSA, 2011). Today there are policy barriers that prevent the expansion of telehealth, including reimbursement issues raised by Medicare and private payers, state licensure, and liability and privacy concerns.

Improved quality is another benefit of telemedicine. The actual quality of healthcare services being delivered by via telemedicine, are just as good as the quality of care being rendered in traditional in-person consultations, shown in recent studies. Special facilities like mental health and ICU care; telemedicine is known to deliver an excellent product. With telemedicine aiding these special facilities, it creates even greater outcomes, and substantial satisfaction from the patients (americantelemed, 2012). Out of all the benefits that have been listed, the patient’s demand for telemedicine can be one of the biggest benefits of telemedicine. Consumers are really just enjoying telemedicine. Telemedicine greatest impacts are on the patient, their families, and their community. As mentioned earlier, telemedicine patient demand mainly derived from the reduced travel time for a patient. The reduction of travel time and traveling long distances can reduce the overall stress for a patient by

One key argument that Cason makes is the transition away from a fee for service model, to a more patient centered model of healthcare. The Triple Aim sums up the patient centered model of care well. Further, Cason provides examples of how telemedicine is highlighted throughout the Affordable Care Act legislation as a viable means toward improving access to care, along with being a cost effective way to involve patients in their care. Lastly, there are numerous quality examples from the VA on the success of telemedicine. Other studies to date have not shown the cost savings that telemedicine has promised. However, one thing that has been repeated time and time again is increased patient satisfaction, and patient engagement in their care. Cason shows this to be true again in this article. The viability of telemedicine as a collaborative tool, used for engaging patients who lack access to care, along with those who are not engaged in disease management appears to be sound. Cason strengthens this argument, and helps strengthen the research question for this capstone

The delivery of health care has always been influenced by technological developments and innovations. This is particularly true in modern health care professionals where they are obsessed with technology and rush to apply them. One of the most recent applications of ICT – Information and computer technology- is telehealth. Telehealth is the use of communication, diagnostic and information technology to provide health care when patients and providers are geographically separated [2], Technologies include videoconferencing, the internet, store -and-forward imaging, streaming media, terrestrial and wireless communications. Telehealth could be as simple as two health professionals discussing a case over the telephone or as

A challenge that many rural communities are dealing with is the lack of primary care physicians, specialist, understaffed hospitals, and transportation. “Only about ten percent of physicians practice in rural America despite the fact that nearly one-fourth of the population lives in these areas” (National Rural Health Association [NHRA], n.d., para. 2). Although, there are programs designed to improve patients access to hospitals and physicians in rural areas, provider access for these patients remains a barrier. Technology can bridge some of the gaps of care for these patients and it can be beneficial in many ways. With enhanced technology, primary care physicians and patients will be able to have support, access to quality care, improvement in self-management skills, which ultimately, will improve a patient’s health. To assist physicians with delivery of optimal care and for patients to be able to go to scheduled wellness visits with physicians, a new approach to solving rural health barriers are needed.