Telemedicine can make routine care faster and less costly.

You may not have interacted with your doctor by video conference, but chances are, telemedicine has already influenced your healthcare in some way.

Whether your doctor forwarded x-rays to a radiologist for consultation, or you provided follow-up information to your practitioner by phone, your healthcare has most likely been touched by the telemedicine revolution.

The Manhattan Research Taking the Pulse US 2014 study found that 40% of physicians agree that the use of digital technology to communicate with patients will improve patient outcomes. A comparable number say they have increased their use of digital tools to communicate with patients in the past year. Nearly half of physicians with smartphones have shown patients images or videos with these devices, and more than one in three doctors has recommended that patients use health apps over the past year.

As of September 2014, there were around 50 telemedicine-related bills that have been introduced in Congress, and this year has seen a number of hearings and roundtable discussions about telemedicine’s innovations in healthcare delivery. Significant growth in telemedicine is expected in coming years, with the number of patients worldwide using telemedicine expected to grow to around 7 million by 2018.

Here are 7 ways telemedicine is already changing healthcare.

1. Helping Chronic Disease Patients Better Manage Their Conditions

Researchers in Michigan and Kentucky have explored the question of whether telemedicine can help people with chronic diseases manage their conditions better. Specifically, they analyzed healthcare access, quality, and cost, with a focus on three common chronic conditions: congestive heart failure, cardiopulmonary disease, and recovery from stroke. A review of telemedicine research concerning chronic disease management from 2000 to 2014 found that across a broad range of patient types and provider types, telemedicine increases quality of care, reduces unnecessary services, and reduces costs.

2. Improving Treatment for People in Remote Areas

Patients in rural areas don’t often have access to specialists available in cities, but telemedicine is helping address this need. Steven A. Fuhrman has been a part of Sentara Healthcare (the nation’s first remote critical care facility) since its opening in 2000. At that time, he says caring for critically ill patients at a distance was unfamiliar and met with skepticism. However, remote critical care has led to better decision making and promoted proactive rather than reactive care. The ICU is by definition a data-rich environment, and this data can be sent to a centralized location where it can be evaluated by specialists. Meanwhile, bedside staff facilitate the care that is recommended by remote specialists, reducing the need for expensive patient transfers.

3. Lowering Hospital Readmission Rates for Medicare Patients

Hospital readmission within 30 days of discharge costs Medicare around $15 billion per year, and reducing readmission rates has become a higher priority in healthcare systems. The Affordable Care Act has also put pressure on hospitals to cut readmission rates. Telemedicine is allowing patients discharged from hospitals a channel for asking questions and learning how to better care for themselves at home. In 2012, Advanced TeleHealth Solutions partnered with a Missouri hospital system to develop a call program for cardiac and pulmonary patients discharged from hospitals. A statistically significant decrease in readmission was noted for patients enrolled in the call system after being discharged.

4. Saving Patients and Doctors Time

Think about the time involved in, for example, taking a child with an earache to see a doctor. The actual provision of care takes minimal time compared to travel and waiting time, and telemedicine is allowing patients with routine problems to consult with doctors through web portals, saving time and improving patient comfort. The world-renowned Mayo Clinic recently launched a pilot program in southeastern Minnesota offering kiosk-based access to healthcare needs for routine health conditions, saving patients and practitioners valuable time.

Mobile apps can put important records in doctors’ hands quickly.

5. Giving Doctors Quicker Access to Important Medical Records

Easier access to patient medical records helps physicians work more efficiently and helps patients receive care in a much timelier manner. A company called iBlueButton offers mobile apps to both patients and providers that facilitate exactly this. iBlueButton Professional allows doctors to access up-to-date medical history from patients with the app through electronic medical records providers. The app also allows doctors to transmit to patient mobile devices information like visit summaries, instructions, and referral notes.

6. Improving Follow-Up Care

Follow-up care is critical for certain patients, particularly those with multiple chronic conditions. These patients may come in and out of the hospital via emergency rooms frequently, a process that is costly and stressful to patients. But when follow-up care is consistently provided so that any changes can be noted and addressed quickly, these patients are less likely to require emergency readmission, which saves tremendous amounts of money and is far less stressful to patients. Special scales or blood pressure devices can be used at home and then send data to medical monitoring systems so that problems can be detected and addressed quickly, before they become serious.

7. Saving Money for Consumers and Providers

Telemedicine services are increasingly being adopted by employers to help keep costs down, and they not only reduce company expenditures on healthcare, they save patients out-of-pocket costs too. Typically these systems cost $40 to $50 per use, which is less than the cost of an average doctor visit, and care is provided online or by phone. Healthcare providers can even write prescriptions when necessary. The costs of taking time off work are reduced, and the costs of driving and waiting are eliminated. With such a system, a family of five could save over $2,600 per year in out-of-pocket costs.

Conclusion

The expansion of telemedicine in the US will largely depend upon legislative actions, particularly concerning provision of healthcare services across state lines. Congress and many state legislatures are already tackling these issues because telemedicine shows tremendous promise in improving healthcare delivery, providing better patient outcomes, and cutting healthcare costs.

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