Telehealth efforts can be implemented at various stages in the healthcare process. In inpatient/outpatient care, medical practitioners can provide care remotely by establishing a remote intensive-care unit where a healthcare professional can guide another physician situated elsewhere through a medical procedure. PCPs or primary care physicians can engage a specialist and a patient to decide upon the best course of medical care for the patient which may or may not result in the PCP making a referral.
Where post-discharge services are concerned, a care provider can follow up with a patient to ensure their discharge instructions and understood correctly and have the prescriptions they require. If patients require frequent monitoring, remote tracing technology allows health care professionals to keep track of their clinical condition without making in-home visits. For instance, an in-home telemonitoring device with a scale can transmit the weight of a patient with congestive heart failure, thus allowing the healthcare provider to monitor and keep record of clinically significant variations in weight. In case of a notable change, the care manager may call upon the patient to check his/her clinical status and/or involve the physician accordingly.
Posted on 03/09/2015 at 11:30 AM