COVID-19 Pandemic challenged our healthcare systems in ways no one imagined before. The restriction on unnecessary physical check ups and the demand of more virtual, touch free medical appointments have increased the need to rely on advanced technological set ups. For businesses that were not using such technologies the pandemic caused major issues finally resulting in complete shutdown. Now the next question for all businesses is, what the lasting changes will be in terms of clinic operations and patient care?

Era of Telemedicine and Telehealth

It is estimated that about 11% of visits were conducted using telemedicine platform before COVID 19 Pandemic. In many countries telemedicine though was rising but was not getting the success it promised. Patients preferred physical appointments and face-to-face check-ups. But then after majority businesses including healthcare providers had to lock down to prevent the spread of COVID 19, telemedicine visits increased to 46% in mere months. Now 70 – 80% of healthcare appointment are nothing but telemedicine visits. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved more than 80 new services to be done through telemedicine and telehealth platforms, and healthcare consultancy McKinsey estimates that as much as $250 billion in medical services may become virtual in the coming years. But after being forced to adopt the technology, both patients and providers say they like it. Among providers, 57% say they view it more favorably than they did pre-pandemic, and 64% feel more comfortable using telemedicine.

Patients prefer Clinics with Right Technologies

Clinics and providers have always been dragging their feet on the technology side of things, but consumers were increasingly demanding more technology, transparency, and convenience. That’s likely to continue and accelerate in the coming months and years, and providers who embrace the right technology will be better positioned to attract new patients to their practice.

Patient Consumerism have changed and patients now are looking for:

Patient Consumerism have changed and patients now are looking for:

1. Online Appointment Scheduling.
2. Simple, Easy and Intuitive patient portals where they can access all their health information (lab results, appointments, medical history, visit notes) in a single place, and share it with other providers.
3. Telemedicine visits whenever appropriate to eliminate wasted time and hassles for things like driving to a clinic, parking, and sitting in a waiting room.
4. Patient-provider direct messaging to ask simple clinical or billing questions.
5. Online check-in to reduce paperwork and cut down on wait times for each visit.
6. Electronic billing notifications and online bill pay options.

Cloud-Based Systems is the future

On many fronts especially operational, these pandemic shutdowns highlighted a critical flaw in traditional clinic systems: the need to have providers and staff in office at all times relying on server-based software to access important patient data and provide care. Many clinics across globe were mandated to close with no physical access, which severely limited some providers’ ability to continue providing care even if you had access to telemedicine services.

Cloud-based systems provide secure access to providers and staff from any web-based device. If your current system is server-based, it’s time to switch to a cloud-based practice management system, EHR, and medical billing system.

Cloud-Based Systems is the future

Contact AltuMED to learn about all our cloud-based software solutions for small and independent medical practices and let us help you learn how to get the right technology to set you up for success in the future.

A Glimpse of Benefits

• Maximize Time
• Increase Patient in-flow
• Streamline Processes
• Increase Revenue
• Reduce Redundancy