Benefits of Telehealth

Access -- Telehealth extends medical/health expertise across geographic barriers using technology. Telehealth improves access to primary and specialty medical care, which is increasingly important to address current and projected physician and specialist shortages. Specialists can be virtually co-located in primary care and other settings where specialty services are scarce or unavailable.

Convenience – Patient satisfaction with telehealth has been widely demonstrated, as specialty services are provided closer to home. Providers in remote clinics can stay connected with their colleagues at hospitals and academic medical centers and receive continuing education in latest evidence based practices.

Quality – Patients can receive earlier medical intervention by more timely access to specialists’ opinions via telehealth. Technology allows the entire care team – primary care providers, nurses, specialists, and family members – to collaborate. Remote monitoring and home telehealth have been demonstrated to improve disease management and drastically reduce re-hospitalization and emergency department visits.

Cost – Telehealth can reduce the cost of healthcare and increase efficiency through reduced patient and provider travel, better management of chronic diseases, shared health professional staffing, and fewer as well as shorter hospital stays.