The TECKpert team recently attended “The Doctor in Your Smartphone: Telehealth & Its Impact on the Healthcare Industry.” Healthcare organizations like AvMed and UHealth, both sponsors of the event, are making telehealth part of their long term strategic plan. The panel featured telehealth experts: Dr. Anne E. Burdick of the University of Miami; Dr. Deborah Mulligan of Nova Southeastern and MDLIVE; Ivette Ruiz, RN, AvMed VP; and Dr. Michael Shen, founder and CMO of a South Florida-based telemedicine service, Duxlink Health.
The panel foresaw telehealth imparting substantial benefits to providers and patients, both of whom can benefit from efficient resource allocation. Other upsides of telehealth include lower cost, streamlined administration, and easier access to preventative care, which can in turn minimize the use of the ER as a primary source of care.
Here are five key takeaways from the telehealth seminar: