Benefits of Telehealth

Benefits of Telehealth

July 10, 2023

Telehealth provides great benefits to patients and society. By providing remote healthcare services online, telehealth has improved outcomes for many patients. While the idea still seems new to some, patients and healthcare providers are realizing the great benefits of telehealth.

Perhaps the most well-known feature of telehealth is the ability to have phone and video calls with medical practitioners. These virtual appointments provide a safe and convenient way for patients to address medical concerns without leaving home or office.

Such technologies provide better access to healthcare. This is especially true for patients living in remote communities or with limited mobility. In 2021, more than a third of adults surveyed said they had used telemedicine in the past year. Let’s explore its benefits.

What can be treated at a telehealth visit? One of the advantages of telehealth is the wide range of ailments that can be treated. This includes many common conditions, like the flu, allergies, and COVID-19. Some of the most common conditions treated through telehealth include:

  • Respiratory Symptoms: Symptoms such as coughing, sore throat, and nasal congestion can benefit from a telehealth visit. Common respiratory conditions treated by telehealth providers include allergies, bronchitis, flu, and COVID-19.

  • Common Illnesses: Telehealth can help with gastrointestinal issues and other ailments that make you feel sick. If you have symptoms like nausea, diarrhea, headaches, fever, or dehydration, telehealth can get you fast treatment.

  • Skin Conditions: Telehealth providers can help treat everything from acne to dermatitis. Your telehealth service may include an option to take a photo of your skin condition for the physician to examine.

  • Minor Injuries: Your virtual healthcare provider can aid in the proper healing of many types of minor injuries. Mild lacerations and abrasions, burns, strains, and sprains are some of the injuries treated by virtual health teams.

  • Other Symptoms: You might be surprised by how many ailments can be treated through telehealth. Check our list of telehealth services to see if your symptoms can be helped through a virtual appointment.

What can I expect during a telehealth visit?

At WellNow Urgent Care, you can connect with an expert provider in just a few minutes using your phone, tablet, or computer. All communication occurs through a private and secure server, keeping your information safe.

To start, you will be asked some questions about your symptoms. Your provider will provide a treatment plan and prescriptions if necessary. Prescriptions can be sent electronically to a pharmacy of your choosing.

We’re making things convenient for our patients. Learn more about how virtual care works at WellNow Urgent Care.

What are the benefits of telehealth? Telehealth offers many advantages for patients. Some of the greatest telehealth benefits include:

  1. Lower costs One of the benefits of telehealth is that it often costs less than visiting a clinic. Telehealth providers often charge a flat fee per visit, making your cost very predictable. Since you are assessed and counseled from home, you avoid being billed additional fees, such as for the use of medical equipment. Plus, you even avoid the cost of getting transportation to the clinic.

  2. Convenience For many people, convenience is one of the key advantages of telehealth. When you’re feeling sick, or you’re busy with life or work, it can be hard to get yourself to a clinic. On the other hand, as long as you have a device connected to the internet, you can access telehealth from virtually anywhere. Telehealth is especially important for patients with limited access to medical health centers. This can include patients with limited mobility and those who live in remote communities. For these patients, telehealth is a vital service, allowing quality medical care without a long or difficult trip.

  3. Quality of care The ease of access that telehealth provides can result in better patient outcomes. Telehealth tools such as virtual healthcare visits and monitoring devices allow increased communication between patients and healthcare providers. This gives providers more information about a patient’s condition, their progress, and their reactions to different treatments. This can result in more accurate diagnoses and better treatment plans.

  4. Saves time Telehealth saves time in many ways. By seeing a provider from virtually anywhere, patients no longer have to spend time traveling to and from clinics and sitting in waiting rooms. The flexibility of telehealth appointments can eliminate the need to schedule a day off work or arrange for childcare. This helps patients see physicians sooner. As many illnesses respond best to quick treatment, telehealth can help prevent early symptoms from developing into more serious health problems.

  5. Security Healthcare providers like WellNow Urgent Care use secure technologies to provide telehealth services. All US providers must use communication platforms that comply with HIPAA. This is an act that provides specific measures to protect patients’ confidential information. To protect patient privacy, healthcare providers attend virtual appointments only from a private area. This may be a room in their clinic or office. Patients are also encouraged to take the call in a private setting.

What is the key benefit of telehealth? The key benefit of telehealth is different for each individual. For healthcare providers, telehealth improves the quality of healthcare while reducing strain on the system. For patients, the lower costs and better health outcomes are attractive telehealth benefits. Telehealth eliminates travel costs and long wait times, and lets patients receive quality care no matter where they live or how mobile they are.

Schedule a virtual visit today It’s time to get the quality healthcare you deserve, faster. The expert healthcare providers at WellNow Urgent Care are just a few clicks away. Get your telehealth visit started now.