Telemedicine Benefits All Stakeholders

In a 24 hour day we have access to primary care for less than 10 hours and we have to rely on high cost channels like emergency rooms (ER) for the other 14 hours in a day.  Healthcare costs will rise another 6.5% in 2014 and employers are finding it hard to continue to provide affordable healthcare to their employees.  Providers are struggling as well.  The margins for a primary care physician (PCP) are shrinking and hospitals are having to merge to keep themselves afloat.  According to New England Health Institute up to 56% of visits at ERs are not emergencies wasting $38 billion annually. With ER being one of the only options during nights and weekends the statistic is not surprising.  Consider Telemedicine!  Telemedicine is not just about connecting a medical provider with a patient over the phone; it is about applying technology to improve service while lowering operational costs.

Telemedicine is being adopted across the U.S.  Consumers are benefiting from 24/7 access to doctors and nurses and having a peace of mind.  Employers are benefiting from reduced absenteeism and improved productivity of their employees as more timely care is provided.  Providers are exploring opportunities where they can now bring specialist care to remote areas of the state.  There are many more applications of telemedicine and the benefits span across all stakeholders.  Some of those key benefits are detailed below.

We can relate to many of these benefits.  This DOES NOT mean that telemedicine is for all scenarios.  We have to match “a problem” with the “right solution”.  For many of the minor issues that we all face at odd hours having a simple access to a medical provider goes a long way.  Let’s start there.

About Amerivitals

Healthcare costs are one of the highest priority items for any business today. According to Society of Actuaries over 70% of medical issues we face are minor in nature. During nights and weekends most of these issues end up in ERs or Urgent Cares. Amerivitals offers members 24/7 access to telehealth consultations (using board certified doctors and licensed/registered nurses) via phone or online video from anywhere anytime. By using telehealth services instead of more expensive urgent care and ER visits, Amerivitals cuts healthcare costs for employers and employees by almost 30% while improving access to healthcare for the employee. Expected ROI for health plans and employers is 250-350%. Our services are offered across 50 U.S. States.  For more information visit www.amerivitals.com/businesses/