How to Set Up a Virtual Medical Office
Offering telemedicine and virtual office creates benefits for you, your staff, and your patients. Telemedicine is convenient for your patients, cutting down on missed time at work, travel expenses, and additional child or eldercare. You benefit from fewer missed appointments and more satisfied patients, ultimately growing your bottom line.
It’s relatively simple to offer telemedicine from your practice’s office since it only requires a few pieces of equipment.?
Use Appropriate Technology?
Choosing your telehealth equipment is the first step in setting up your virtual medical office. There’s a chance that you already own everything you need:
A strong and reliable internet connection is a must for telehealth. You need a connection that provides high-quality resolution for video calls with patients.
The three main pieces of equipment you need are a computer, microphone, and camera. Most laptops already have built-in cameras and microphones, but you can opt for external devices, including webcams, microphones, speakers, or headphones.
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Invest in the Right Telemedicine Software
A HIPAA-compliant telemedicine platform is critical to connect with your patients virtually. The right software allows you to provide video conferences without compromising your patients’ privacy. You want to make sure that only authorized participants can join a virtual session and that any transmissions are double encrypted to ensure patient privacy.?
Many telemedicine platforms, such as Curogram, also integrate with your electronic health records for seamless communications. Curogram includes other features, including:?
There are plenty of options to consider, but don’t assume that any video chat platform like Zoom is always HIPAA-compliant. Do your homework and find the telemedicine platform that is HIPAA-compliant and has the features your patients and practice need.
Manage Your Environment
Adjust Your Lighting
It seems like a small detail, but adjusting your lighting can impact your patient’s attention. Too much brightness distracts and irritates your patient’s eyes, while if the lighting is too dim or dark, patients can’t see you well. A well-lit virtual medical office helps you connect better with your patients. You could consider a ring light to brighten your face during telemedicine appointments.?
Keep It Quiet
The last thing you want is distracting background noises while you’re in the middle of consulting your patient. Patients expect a quiet, private setting that mimics an in-person consultation. They mustn’t hear any unnecessary noise, like office chatter or even a phone ringing. Any distractions could make it difficult to clearly understand their health information.?
Telemedicine is here to stay despite loosening COVID-19 restrictions. Patients who rely on virtual healthcare truly enjoy the advantages that telemedicine provides. By setting up your virtual medical office, you can dedicate more time to patients, improving their health outcomes and your bottom line.?