Can Pulmonologist Telemedicine Improve Access to Care?

Pulmonologist telemedicine helps hospitals solve the staffing problems associated with recruiting and retaining physicians. Why is access to pulmonary care limited?

  • Increased demand due to an aging population.
  • Pulmonologists are retiring, which is creating a pulmonologist shortage.
  • New physicians are not selecting this highly stressful field.

Pulmonologist telemedicine is a proven effective form of remote care. These specialists can diagnose and treat patients with COPD, allergies, lung infections and other respiratory diseases.

How does pulmonologist telemedicine improve access to care?

What Conditions Can Telemedicine for Pulmonology Diagnose and Treat?

COVID-19 put the spotlight on pulmonologist telemedicine. However, hospitals see their share of chronic non-COVID respiratory disorders on a regular basis. Many of these patients are in and out of hospitals for years, as their condition progresses.

It’s a burden for small community, rural or inner-city hospitals, trying to provide the specialist care these patients need. The unpredictability of these hospitalizations typically means referring the patient to a tertiary care hospital, often up to 100 miles away.

Patients find it very stressful, and in some cases impossible, to make that trek when suffering with a respiratory condition. If they are turned away from their local hospital, they likely won’t seek treatment there again — meaning that revenue is lost forever. This diminishes the hospital’s reputation in their community, as word gets around they just can’t handle “serious” patients.

Conditions Pulmonologist Telemedicine Can Treat
Hutchinson Regional Medical Center

HUTCHINSON REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER • KANSAS • ICU

Eagle’s Tele-ICU and TelePulmonology Programs Ease Staffing Concerns for Kansas Hospital

After going live in 2018, Eagle’s Tele-ICU program provided the ongoing coverage the hospital needed. Because physicians staffing the program are intensivists with a specialty
in pulmonology, they helped Hutchinson Regional continue consistent inpatient treatment for patients in the pulmonology unit.

Key Benefits of Remote ICU and Pulmonology Telemedicine

Supports Onsite Clinical Team

Reduced Need for Transfers