You have heard much about it from a colleague or on the news; telemedicine is the solution used to perform a remote consultation. Telehealth solutions are developing at a great speed. In this period of health crisis, more and more doctors are using it to restrict the possibility of spreading the virus. You are interested in offering this solution to your patients, but some questions that prevent you from taking action remain unanswered? So, without further ado, let’s dive into this blog and learn some of the things you need to know about telehealth.
1. What is the interest in telehealth?
80% of all consultations (infectiology, rheumatology, and cardiovascular) can be handled by telehealth.) It allows getting rid of the distance between the patient and the health professional. In this way, it solves the problem of medical deserts as well as the constraint of travel for people with reduced mobility. Telehealth gives everyone access to healthcare. This solution saves a considerable amount of time by eliminating the need for calls and emails for patients who want to be reassured about their health. In the same way, telehealth helps relieve emergency services congestion by restructuring and reorganizing access to care.
2. Which healthcare professionals can offer telehealth?
Regardless of their specialty or sector of activity, all doctors can practice telehealth, whether they work in a city or a health facility (city office, multi-professional health center, health center, nursing home, hospital, clinic, etc.). It can be performed anywhere in America.
3. How does telehealth work?
Telehealth takes place in the same way as a traditional consultation, starting with a request for an appointment from the patient, either spontaneous or recommended by your doctor. When the teleconsulting doctor makes an appointment online, the patient receives an email with an Internet link inviting him/her to connect at the time of the appointment.
Before connecting to the telehealth, the software automatically requests the patient’s consent to participate in the telehealth. Before, during, and after telehealth, medical documents (prescriptions, results of complementary examinations, etc.) can be exchanged between the doctor and the patient (or between the doctor and the nurse if he/she accompanies the patient in the telehealth).
4. What are the conditions for telehealth?
Telehealth is a remote consultation between a “teleconsulting” doctor and a patient who another health professional may assist. Any patient can benefit from telehealth and will be reimbursed by the Assurance Maladie if they are organized in accordance with the care pathway. This is why they are subject to certain conditions:
Patients must be initially referred by their primary care physician if they are not the ones performing the telehealth.
The patient must also be known to the teleconsulting physician: he or she must have had at least one face-to-face consultation with the teleconsulting physician in the last 12 months.
However, these two conditions are not required for patients under age 16, for certain specialties with direct access (ophthalmology, gynecology, stomatology, maxillofacial surgery, psychiatry or neuropsychiatry, pediatrics), and for emergency situations.
There is also an exception for patients who do not have an attending physician or whose attending physician is unavailable within a time frame compatible with their state of health. In this case, an exception can be made to the care pathway and the obligation of prior knowledge of the patient by the doctor performing the telehealth: the patient must then approach an organized territorial organization such as, for example:
- CPTS: community territorial professional health,
- ESP: primary care team
- MSP: multi-professional health center
- CDS: health center
- Another organization proposes to organize a telemedicine response in a coordinated manner.
In order to receive telehealth, the patient must be informed of the terms of his or her care and give consent before the procedure is carried out. Telehealth must be carried out by video transmission under conditions that guarantee a quality consultation. Good telehealth software is therefore essential.
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By identifying patterns of disharmony within your body’s system, we will tailor the treatment to meet your condition. Furthermore, we offer a wide range of Chinese herbal medicines formulated and concocted to meet your specific needs and telehealth services. So, what are you waiting for? Give them a call today and let them help you with their team of experts.
