Counting The Virtues of Virtual Visits
The more things change, the more they remain the same. Today’s physicians (and patients) are benefitting from connecting by phone instead of in the office. It harkens back to the days when a physician would call before coming to your house or to follow up on a house-call. Today’s systems are much more sophisticated, but the convenience level is the same: High.Telemedicine’s time has definitely come. Consider that back in 2013, a Cisco study showed that 74% of consumers were open to a virtual doctor visit. Although only 15% of family physicians in 2015 reported they had provided this type of service to their patients in the past 12 months, with benefits like timelier care, reduced visit cost, and improved physician-to-physician consultations, that figure is sure to rise.
But what exactly do patients want in a virtual visit, and how can practitioners incorporate these visits into their daily practice?