After over a year of the healthcare industry evolving due to the pandemic, providers have adapted to the benefits of offering telehealth options. However, now that COVID regulations are beginning to relax, clinics are now looking at how telehealth has helped or hindered their services and what they should do going forward. Every practice is different, but in general, virtual care options can increase a clinic’s reach and revenue if they are prepared to continue its maintenance.The benefits of telehealth:
- Virtual appointments save both patient and the office time on prepping necessities such as the commute and preparing a room for the patient. This allows the office to fit in more patients in the day.
- An efficient system that allows you to schedule more patients and streamline your workflow results in more revenue for the clinic. They’ll make more on their services while spending the same or maybe less time on admin tasks.
- It’s more convenient than other previous digital options such as texting. The industry did not support those options as much, but now virtual care has been spurred into action due to the pandemic.
- Patients enjoy having the choice between virtual and in-person. If they’re scheduling a check-in or an appointment to get a prescription refilled, for example, then it makes it easier on them to set it as a virtual appointment. Those who prefer in-person can also still schedule that kind. Then, all patients can be well taken care of and the office shows that they are accommodating.
- It trains and prepares the staff for the future. While COVID increased the use of telehealth, it was on its way to becoming a natural part of the healthcare landscape. Other aspects such as a patient portal, online scheduling, and online payments are also becoming a popular and convenient solution for patient satisfaction. Continuing to offer telehealth options and investing in software will keep your office relevant and a step ahead.
If your practice does choose to continue offering telehealth options, then they should also be aware of the investments in software and training they will have to take on. It could be worthwhile in the long run, but that dedication should first be acknowledged. Telehealth also requires different medical coding than typical in-person appointments; if your billing team has not been up to the task, contact the experts at Outsource Receivables Inc. to see how we can save your clinic money.