How We Win Over the Telemedicine Naysayers
We’ve written frequently about the growing acceptance of telemedicine by hospital clinical staff, patients and their families. Still, we do encounter naysayers along the way.
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2019: Telehealth Growth Projections for Inpatient Care
It was abundantly clear in 2018 that there is a new reality in U.S. inpatient care. As I wrote in my year-end blog last month, most hospitals across the country have embraced the value equation telemedicine offers. No longer viewed as a novelty, telemedicine will continue to gain ground in hospitals in 2019—both in general hospitalist services and in a wider range of specialty offerings.
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Fast Track to Licensure: The Convenience of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC) for Telemedicine Providers
Applying for a medical license is often a tedious process, especially when you’re a telemedicine provider who will be providing services in several states simultaneously. With most states taking one to two months to review initial license applications and sometimes an additional two to three months to issue the license, obtaining a license can also be very time consuming. The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC) is an expedited process for physicians (who qualify) to use as a pathway to licensure.
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The Year in Review: Telemedicine Went Deeper, Wider in Inpatient Care in ‘18
Over the past 10 years, Eagle Telemedicine has seen dramatic change in the way the healthcare industry and the public accept what we do. Once viewed as something out of a sci-fi movie, the concept of telemedicine is as familiar to most people today as a Skype or Facetime call with a friend or loved one.
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Clearing the Hurdles Part 3: Adding Remote Physicians in Your Hospital
In previous posts, we’ve discussed the strategic challenges of gaining consensus among hospital leadership to start a telemedicine program. Part I and Part II covered hurdles such as the crisis-planning mindset and fear of change. In Part III, we address the tactical challenges involved in laying the foundation for a successful telemedicine program.
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Clearing the Hurdles 2: How to Start Telemedicine at Your Hospital
In this blog series, we’re outlining some of the major hurdles to starting a telemedicine program in the hospital setting. Part I dealt with the failure to see the strategic value of telemedicine, and how to overcome it. Here are four other strategic hurdles we have encountered in the quest to gain consensus at the medical staff and board level. Resistance comes in many forms—personal, political, institutional—but it can be overcome with a thorough understanding of telemedicine’s myriad benefits.
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Clearing the Hurdles 1: How to Set-up Telemedicine at Your Hospital
Many U.S. hospitals are realizing strong returns on their investments in telemedicine. Staffing gaps are filled, patient transfers are reduced, and Leapfrog scores as well as other metrics are on the uptick. And by the way, their staffing costs have gone down. Despite the success stories, other hospitals struggle, for a variety of reasons, over the question of whether to implement telemedicine. In this new series of blog posts, we’ll cover the strategic and tactical challenges that often arise when a hospital is considering a telemedicine program, and we’ll offer tips on how to meet them. In this first installment, we discuss some of the strategic challenges involved in making the case for telemedicine and encouraging its adoption by a hospital or health system.
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What Makes a Good Telemedicine Physician? Three Essential Qualities
Solid technology is the foundation of any successful telemedicine program, but there is another vital factor, of course: physicians. At Eagle, we hear a lot of praise for the ones who are part of our team, for their ability to make a personal connection with patients, families, and staff―no matter how great the geographical distance between them. That connection doesn’t happen by accident.
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How to Stem the Tide of Transfers from Rural Hospitals
Telemedicine is a rewarding field to be in for many reasons. We make healthcare easier to access for patients and their families. We’re saving doctors from burnout. We help hospitals find a sustainable solution to complex challenges. It’s extremely gratifying to be part of an industry that does so much good. Take, for example, the recent upsurge in the number of rural county hospital leaders who raise legitimate concerns about patient transfers and don’t know how to stop the outflow, or “outmigration” as we’ve heard it referred to.
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Best Telemedicine in the ICU Boosts Census and Leapfrog Scores
Telemedicine’s value to hospitals is demonstrated every day. In Emergency Departments (EDs), where stroke patients get the timely treatment they need in their local community hospitals without having to be transferred to a distant referral hospital. On the floor, where rounding stays on a timely schedule. In the boardroom, where examples of patient and staff satisfaction, as well as bottom-line benefits, are frequently heard. The ICU is another area where telemedicine is significantly changing how healthcare is delivered―for the better.
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