Video Collaboration Enabling Better Patient Care
The use of video collaboration in healthcare has been available for many years. However, its use has been very limited. With recent changes to EMR regulations and insurance company reimbursement policies, video collaboration is receiving renewed interest from providers across the country. Providers who are implementing this technology are seeing decreased costs and improved patient care and satisfaction.
Healthcare providers are leveraging video collaboration in many TeleHealth and TeleMedicine applications including:
- Emergency Room Support – connects emergency providers with medical specialists who would otherwise not be available
- Intensive Care Support – provides round the clock back-up and supervision to ICU staffs
- Specialist Consults – primary care providers can consult with specialists who are not local
- Observation – specialist can examine and observe patients who are not local or who are unable to travel
- Institutionalization – provides the ability to give care to patients who are incarcerated or institutionalized
- Psychiatry – deliver psychiatric care to remote patients
- Healthcare Education – conduct education programs to attendees in multiple locations
- Patient Education – deliver important healthcare related information in a more personalized format
Many studies have shown that video conferencing directly improves access to health care, and can improve the quality of care that could lead to improved health outcomes. These technologies also have the potential to make the health care system more cost effective.
A 2008 study examined stroke patient consults between emergency physicians at four community hospitals and stroke specialists at a separate location. It compared patient assessments conducted by telephone with assessments conducted via a telehealth stroke consult program, which included video conferencing and store and forward images of CT brain scans. More than 98 percent of patients in the telehealth program received correct treatment decisions, compared to 82 percent of patients in the telephone-only assessment. The timely use of optimal treatments can mean the difference between a stroke patient’s substantial recovery, and death or long-term disability.
A 2007 study found that patients in a medically underserved rural area who received psychiatric services via video conference had clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction levels that were equal to patients who received face-to-face services. In addition, video conferencing services were 10% less expensive per patient than in-person services.
As the legal and policy impediments to video collaboration use in TeleHealth continue to be removed, providers will increasingly turn to video to provide a better patient experience.
Arraya Solutions can help your organization integrate video collaboration into your clinical and administrative processes to enable better patient care.
Visit http://go.arrayasolutions.com/healthcare.html to learn more about healthcare technology solutions from Arraya and be sure to register for our upcoming event, Stories of Success: How IT Decision-makers are Changing the Game in Healthcare, which will take place at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in King of Prussia, PA at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, September 24th.
