Behavioral Health
Using Telemedicine to Expand Access to Care, Improve Patient Retention and Compliance, and Enhance Productivity

Mental health is a mounting concern in the U.S. today, as current statistics indicate that roughly 20% of all adult Americans have been affected by a mental health disorder, and that 1 in 25 are currently suffering. As the number of patients with behavioral health issues continues to grow, the number of qualified providers to help them contracts. This imbalance between provider and patient is creating gaps in in treatment, and in many cases, makes it impossible for patients to access care. This problem does not only affect patients seeking clinic-based care, but is particularly acute in today’s emergency departments (ED), where many mental health patients arrive for lack of an alternative. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, an estimated one in eight ED visits involves a patient with a mental health and/or substance use condition, and the average cost per patient is over $2,000. In this setting, patients need timely assessment, and delays in evaluation can cause disruption to ED staff, ambulance crews, and local police departments.

Telemedicine offers the opportunity to transform mental health treatment by improving access to and convenience of quality care, consistent delivery of services, streamlining care coordination, and decreasing the time to receive care. Telemedicine can also benefit health systems by improving patient retention and increasing staff productivity, enabling providers to monitor and care for more patients while incurring fewer costs. Address mounting mental health concerns among U.S. adults with the implementation of virtual care.

Chronic Care
Using Telemedicine to Enhance Access to Care, Improve Outcomes, and Lower Costs

As healthcare providers transition from fee-for-service to value-based care, the delivery of services must shift to a holistic view to enhance quality and reduce costs with the goal of achieving better outcomes. Not surprisingly, a significant focus is placed on the management of the chronically ill, especially those who are fragile. According to the CDC, one in four U.S. adults have two or more chronic health conditions, accounting for 86% of the nation’s healthcare expenditures in excess of $750 billion annually. These patients with multiple conditions are best served with integrated and collaborative care models, often provided via a team approach. Because these patients see multiple providers in various locations, they are challenged to receive access to timely care and to be adherent to prescribed treatment strategies.

By using telemedicine to deliver care remotely to chronically ill patients through virtual visits, healthcare systems can provide better access to high-quality and timely care to improve outcomes and reduce the total cost of care.

Chronic pain doesn’t check out, but patients do. Learn how telemedicine can help to bridge the gap in care.

Pediatrics
Using Telemedicine To Improve Care, Enhance Outcomes, and Reduce Costs

8.1 million children do not have access to a pediatrician.
650,000 live in an area without a primary care physician of any kind.

Over 70 million times each year, children in America are evaluated by a medical professional in an outpatient setting. Not surprisingly, this places a significant burden on their parents and guardians, who must leave home or work to facilitate that care. This situation is further complicated by the dynamics of the modern family, where both parents are often fully employed. The inconvenience is further exacerbated by the fact that America has a shortage of available pediatricians, making access to care a critical problem. In fact, data published by the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that as many as 8.1 million children do not have access to a pediatrician, and 650,000 live in an area without a primary care physician of any kind.

While it can be a challenge to access care for children with simple and common conditions, the problem of access intensifies for children with chronic conditions, especially those with rare diseases. In these cases, many children do not have access to the specialists they need as those physicians are often on staff at children’s hospitals, and not evenly distributed across America. Needless to say, access to care, the related inconvenience, and travel costs place a significant burden on parents and guardians. At the same time, the expectations of today’s parents have changed. The majority of them are well accustomed to online transactions and the immediacy of services available to them.

GlobalDoc iQ was created to improve access and convenience to healthcare in line with healthcare consumer expectations. Virtual visits are the newest point of care for healthcare and can be a valuable complement to children’s medicine. Just as children’s medical centers have extended their reach into community hospitals and community-based outpatient centers, virtual visits can extend care to children in a number of locations, including the home, residential care settings, schools, and other places outside the hospital. Integrating virtual visits into pediatric practices can eliminate the need for many visits to be in-person, saving parents the headache and cost of absenteeism and reducing the time that children are away from school.

Virtual care provides flexible and reliable access to care for parents navigating the modern healthcare landscape.

Urgent Care
Using Telemedicine to Extend Reach, Increase Market Share, And Drive New Revenue

Urgent care operators are in danger of losing a portion of their client base as retail clinics, fast-track ER services, and direct-to-consumer online medical services enter the market in response to consumers’ demand for faster and more convenient medical care. To stay competitive, urgent care operators must embrace telemedicine. Using telemedicine to deliver urgent care can reduce costs, increase market share, and generate more revenue per provider. Treat patients in any location, day or night. Telemedicine is transforming urgent care expectations.