Telehealth: The Key To Improving Physician Workflow And Patient Care
By Michael J. Sutter, CRNA, MSN, MSBA, Chief Innovation Officer for Carle Health System
Several different ‘flavors’ of telehealth have developed over the years, with varying degrees of popularity and adoption. Some hospitals have telehealth systems in an emergency room, allowing ER physicians to communicate directly with physicians at another site. Other hospitals have specialty physicians who leverage telehealth visits from one health facility to another.
Telehealth equipment is generally known to be costly and limited. Traditionally, telehealth tools were permanently located in one room and only accessible when that room was available – very similar to the advent of teleconferencing rooms in offices. Unless a mobile cart was available to move from room to room, the telehealth offerings remained limited.
Today, the steady increase of mobile devices being integrated into the workflow of hospitals is transforming telehealth and how we deliver care. Additionally, medical devices are getting more compact and leveraging the technology that is already in our pockets. The end result is not only improving workflow and physicians’ lives, but also improving patient care and satisfaction.
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