Last Updated | October 3, 2024
In this digital age, telehealth bridges the gap between patients and healthcare practitioners. It offers a range of solutions like virtual consultations, remote patient monitoring, and patient scheduling. You may be wondering, which is an example of telemedicine? Well, all of the above services are examples of telemedicine. Today, virtual patient care is increasingly adopted, given the lack of medical facilities in remote, rural, and urban centers. Telemedicine offers convenience, reduces travel time, and increases the efficiency of healthcare services. This technology was initially meant to reach remote communities; however, with time, it’s also improving healthcare practitioners’ efficiency in urban areas.
What Are the Examples of Telemedicine for Healthcare Sector?
Many examples of telemedicine services are being implemented by healthcare institutions to ensure the accessibility of quality healthcare. Below are the five best telemedicine examples in the healthcare sector.
1) Diabetes and Medication Video Education Support at the Medical Center at Bowling Green
Kentucky has one of the highest rates of diabetic patients in the United States. According to some estimates, over 50% of adults are affected, with over 15% being diabetic and 35% are prediabetic.
In the last two decades, the rate of diabetes has doubled from 6.4% to 10.5%, making it one of the most common chronic conditions. It is also one of the most expensive chronic illnesses, which costs patients an estimated USD 5.2 billion annually in Kentucky alone. Diabetes further increases the chances of other medical complications like stroke, kidney failure, heart disease, and others, adding to the overall cost of treatment.
Managing Diabetes
The Medical Center at Bowling Green identified lifestyle management as the key to suppressing the rate of diabetes in the state. The medical center initiated video education to raise awareness about ways to stay healthy and a standardized approach to managing diabetes. This video education was aimed to aid the clinic-led instructions for diabetic patients and improve the awareness of the disease amongst the population.
They even implemented the “SmarTigr” interactive patient engagement TV system. It was introduced in 2017 and has proven to be an efficient and effective example of telemedicine for hospitals and healthcare facilities. The smarter TV system includes a robust library of videos and training to improve staff education and efficiency in dealing with diabetic patients.
The system has consistently seen a rise in videos being watched monthly, averaging over 1,400 monthly views. One recent study also indicates a qualitative improvement in patients, where over 50% of diabetes patients participated in the initiative, expressing their commitment to improving their lifestyle for better disease management.
2) Dealing with the Opioid Crisis with CoxHealth
The opioid crisis in the United States has had a serious impact on both public health and the economy. According to the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers, the crisis cost the country $504 billion in 2015. Healthcare institutions have suffered from extended hospital stays, lower patient satisfaction, and increased readmissions directly attributable to opioid-related issues.
Other than that, the opioid crisis has caused a significant loss of human life. One of the primary factors has been a lack of understanding among patients, unrealistic expectations, and ineffective communication with healthcare providers.
Challenges Faced By The Healthcare System
Healthcare practitioners, including the paramedic staff, face barriers in dealing with the patient’s pain since they lack the resources, guidance, and information on the expected behaviors. To deal with this situation, CoxHealth in Springfield, MO, brought together a task force to raise awareness about pain and opioids. The team included:
- Physicians
- Nurses
- Pharmacists
- Patient experience specialists
- Administration and staff educators
The task force used video education as a means to raise awareness amongst patients and healthcare practitioners about the experiences involved in opioid treatment.
They educated people with written material that included general information about pain, pharmacological therapies for pain management, and non-pharmacological aspects of treatment. Other than that, it also included reporting pain and disposal of opioids. The Tiger system stored videos and other resources that were then available to patients and healthcare practitioners.
Immediate qualitative and quantitative improvement was reported amongst patients and healthcare practitioners post-implementation of the system. It was noted that the awareness program enabled over 80% of patients to discuss pain with their healthcare providers in more detail.
3) Welcome Video and SmarTigr to improve Patients’ Admission Process
For patients who aren’t familiar with modern healthcare facilities, hospital environments can be confusing and even frightening. It is commonly noted that the majority of patients and families are totally unaware of the admission procedures or what to expect for a multiple-day stay at the hospital.
Since the admission process is the starting point of inpatient services, a confusing experience at this stage results in dissatisfaction or a negative perception of patients about the healthcare services.
“The SmarTigr” system was implemented by the Charleston Area Medical Center in Charleston, WV; the Service Excellence Innovation Team at the CAMC implemented the “Warm Welcome” initiative. This was a short 5-minute welcome video that started with the greeting message by the CEO while also helping patients understand the expected experience for a typical hospital stay.
The implementation of the system witnessed the reduction in time required for admission from 45 minutes to under 15 minutes, improved diagnosis and medication education, and increased whiteboard completion. Also, it improved the patient’s satisfaction with the hospital services.
4) Retail Pharmacy System at Morristown Medical Center
The rising uncertainty about hospital reimbursements and healthcare reforms resulted in an increasing number of programs directed to educate patients about their medication needs, as well as lowering their cost of readmissions.
Patients who are unsatisfied with the quality or amount of education received from hospitals for medication have an overall lower HCAHPS score for the country. It is also one of the most common reasons driving up hospital readmissions. Under these circumstances, hospitals have been looking for alternative ways to improve the patient’s awareness and education about the medications, enhance clinical efficiencies, and increase revenue generation.
One of the successful examples of telehealth is Morristown Medical Center’s use of SmarTigr interactive patient engagement system. It helped educate patients about their medications, improve their communication channels, and raise awareness among patients for their retail pharmacy services.
The hospital created a “Retail Pharmacy” option in its SmarTigr system to enable patients to access various information pages. This included:
- The expectations for service levels
- Assistance with prescription fulfillment
- Discharge medications
The system allowed patients to either self-pick the medications or have them delivered to their bedside, which can be done through a few simple click-based requests. It also included medication information to raise awareness amongst patients through short two- to three-minute videos detailing the medication’s impacts and side effects.
The “Retail Pharmacy” initiative has proven to be a great success for Morristown. The system has enabled patients and their families to access the pharmacy pages and know details about the services offered by the hospital’s pharmacy. Moreover, it also increased prescription fulfillment by over 15%, which eventually translated into more revenue for the hospital.
5) CHF Education Plan at Charleston Area Medical Center
West Virginia has the highest rates of cardiovascular disease in the United States, with heart attack as the leading cause of death amongst adults. On the other hand, congestive heart failure (CHF) stands tall as the number one reason for patients’ 30-day readmission to the hospital.
Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) already has an intensive approach in place to lessen readmissions due to CHF or other chronic diseases. However, to increase work efficiency, CAMC implemented the telemedicine service – SmarTigr across all its hospital campuses. This interactive patient engagement system is meant to improve patient education and create awareness about chronic conditions like congestive heart failure (CHF).
After implementing SmarTigr, CAMC observed a sharp decrease in the readmission rate for heart failure patients. Additionally, it also improved the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores.
Forecasting Telemedicine Users Across The USA (2021-2025)
5 Best Telemedicine Examples for Patients
Moving on from telemedicine examples for hospitals, clinics, and healthcare institutions, let’s look at some of the examples of telehealth technology to see how they enable patients to access high-quality healthcare services.
1) Increasing the Life Expectancy of Inuit People
Inuit people, who are indigenous people of Canada, have an 11-year shorter life expectancy than the national average. Many socio-economic factors contribute to shorter life expectancy; however, the lack of quality health care due to geographical remoteness has proven to be a major reason. Generally, the remote northern communities in Canada primarily rely on nurses for healthcare services, with occasional visits of qualified physicians in the regional health centers. This arrangement is due to the lack of transportation in those far-fetched areas, making it harder for quick and timely access to qualified medical care.
One of the successful examples of telemedicine implemented in the region by Eichhorn is InTouch Health. It relies on technology to provide quick access to qualified physicians and doctors for Intuit people in the Arctic.
Telemedicine has proven to be life-changing for the Intuit People living in the vast northern wilderness of Canada, allowing them to get qualified healthcare services even in the remotest places.
2) Telemedicine as an Alternative to Dog Sleds
Alaska, United States, faces the same problems as northern Canada, with vast frozen wilderness and a small dispersed population, limiting healthcare network. Many small villages in the interiors of Alaska don’t even have access to qualified nurses, and in any case of a medical emergency, the patient has to be taken to the hospital on a sled, which could take from hours to days and even weeks.
The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium has remained one of the prime telehealth examples for over two decades. The program enables telemedicine consultations for remote communities with qualified doctors and physicians sitting in urban centers.
3) Telemedicine Instead of Boats in Vanuatu
Vanuatu is a small island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. Any medical emergency on the island means that the patient has to be carried by boat to the main healthcare facility, which can take anywhere from about 4 to 6 hours.
The arrival of broadband internet opened the opportunity for telemedicine to make up for the lack of healthcare services on the island. Today, the government is supporting a network of doctors and physicians to connect remotely with the patients living on the island. The program also aims to build the capacity of local nurses by giving them learning opportunities through telemedicine consultations.
4) Telemedicine for The Havasupai Tribe
The Havasupai Tribe is one of the most remote tribes in the United States, and it lives at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. This extremely isolated location of the tribe is only accessible on horseback, by helicopter, or on an 8-mile hike. To make it even worse, the nearest town to the tribe is over 60 miles away. Presently, there are 367 people of the Havasupai Tribe living in their tribal land, which makes it necessary to offer them efficient healthcare services.
The tribe has recently secured a 30MB internet connection to support education and telemedicine services, which will greatly help in providing the indigenous people of the United States with much-needed qualified healthcare services.
5) Handling Medical Emergencies on Ships
According to one study, one in five commercial ships is forced to change routes due to medical emergencies, which cost the sector a whopping $168 million annually. According to the same study, by implementing telemedicine equipment onboard, crew members won’t just add to the safety of the passengers but also save on many costs that are wasted due to route diversions on commercial ships.
What are Three Different Types of Telemedicine?
The three major types of telemedicine include:
- Store-and-Forward Telemedicine
- Remote Monitoring
- Real-Time Interactive Services
Is HIPAA Compliance Necessary for Telemedicine?
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a United States Legislation related to the data privacy and security of medical information. The HIPPA is meant to minimize fraud and abuse in the healthcare industry by standardizing electronic records storage and processing. It is recommended to always choose HIPAA-compliant telemedicine software to ensure the safety and privacy of secret medical history.
Telemedicine Benefits
Telemedicine brings a myriad of benefits to healthcare practitioners and patients. Some of them include:
- Cost-Effectiveness
- Convenience
- Flexible Hours
- Increased Efficiency in Diagnosis
- Improved Workflow Management
- Minimized Risk to Doctors
- Reduced no-show margin
- Higher Returns
ClinicLive – Telemedicine App Example
ClinicLive is one of the best examples of telemedicine, and it is meant to connect healthcare practitioners with remote patients seamlessly and in a cost-effective way. The software is designed to enable hospitals and practitioners to get easy access and branding options for their practice, which also includes various powerful features and tools for patients.
Customize Telehealth Applications with Folio3 Digital Health
Telemedicine app development is a good growth opportunity for medical practices to expand their services. Telehealth offers convenient consultations online, decreasing wait time and enhancing patient care. Join hands with Folio3 Digital Health and start your telemedicine application development journey with us, today.
Conclusion
Telemedicine improves healthcare by providing virtual consultations, remote monitoring, and telepharmacy solutions. It offers services to people who either cannot be present for physical evaluation or live in remote areas. For patients, telemedicine is convenient and accessible; therefore, it is highly accepted as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Using Telemedicine in 2024?
- Johns Hopkins Medicine
- Cleveland Clinic
- Mayo Clinic
- Kaiser Permanente
- Intermountain Healthcare
- Ascension
- Veterans Health Administration (VA)
- Department of Defense (DoD)
- Teladoc Health
- Doctor on Demand
- MDLive
What is The Difference Between Telemedicine and Telehealth?
While telemedicine is more specifically related to remote clinical services, telehealth is a broader term. Telehealth includes other telehealth services like remote patient monitoring, telepharmacy, and tele education.
What Are Telehealth Program Examples?
- Virtual Doctor Visits
- Remote Patient Monitoring
- Post-Discharge Care
- Patient Education
- Telehealth Clinics
What Are Some Common Telehealth Devices Examples?
- Remote Patient Monitoring Devices
- Virtual Stethoscopes
- Digital Otoscopes
- Pulse Oximeters
- Wireless Scales
About the Author
Ahmed Sufyan Samee
Ahmed Sufyan Samee is a seasoned digital marketer with 3+ years of experience. Specializing in SEO, he excels in optimizing online content and managing display campaigns. His expertise extends to YouTube SEO, enhancing brand visibility and engagement. Sufyan is known for his strategic approach, leveraging PPC and SEO to drive measurable results. Committed to staying ahead in the dynamic digital landscape.
