Let’s Talk Interactive (LTI), a leading telemedicine solutions provider, today announces the launch of its next-generation enterprise virtual care solution, TrustVideo.
TrustVideo leverages a revolutionary utilization encounter-based model that allows all providers in a healthcare system to access the platform as opposed to licensed-based models. “We believe everyone should have access to care, including the providers. TrustVideo’s utilization encounter-based model opens up an ecosystem of healthcare where no one is prevented from engaging in or receiving virtual care. As a result, more physicians will be able to offer care via the TrustVideo platform and more patients will be seen,” said Arthur Cooksey, founder and CEO of Let’s Talk Interactive.
The standalone, customizable virtual care platform offers a seamless patient and provider user experience that integrates with and complements any electronic health records (EHR) and electronic medical records (EMR) system and is accessible on any device and browser. The solution has the power to serve any medical use case and workflow with one virtual care platform that provides a complete end-to-end user experience for both patients and providers without interruption.
“EHR and EMR systems have become the bedrock of clinical data in healthcare. It’s essential to have an interoperable virtual care platform that seamlessly integrates with any EMR/EHR and serves any use case,” added Cooksey. “Beyond complex integrations, a challenge most healthcare providers experience is jumping from one program to another just to give patients the care they need. TrustVideo is a client-centric platform that incorporates state-of-the-art functionality such as scheduling, notes, reporting, and payment and delivers them in one simple, concise and secure solution.”
TrustVideo’s software platform includes advanced functionality for bio-analytics, medical cart software and medical devices, virtual triage for on-demand queueing to virtual clinics, and a dispatcher role for call center appointment setting or on-demand triage.
“We developed TrustVideo with key healthcare units in mind, such as ICU and stroke units, and emergency departments,” said Cooksey. “They can quickly triage a patient, connect with a specialist, make a diagnosis, send an eScript and determine if other follow-up is needed. The provider can send notes and screenshots from the visit into the EMR and generate any reports or documentation.”
“We are thrilled to launch TrustVideo, an innovation that has truly evolved with patients’ needs instead of simply adapting with them,” said Cooksey. “The result will be a win-win for the patient and healthcare system – increased patient acquisition, improved virtual care, boosted revenue, and more patients seen.”
AGS Health, a revenue cycle management (RCM) solutions provider and partner to some of the largest healthcare systems in the U.S., launched its AGS AI Platform, a connected solution that blends artificial intelligence (AI) and automation with award-winning human-in-the-loop services and expert support to maximize revenue cycle performance.
Industry-wide, health systems are being stretched as they face chronic and worsening labor shortages while attempting to address higher denial rates and an onslaught of audits. Shrinking margins limit organizations’ ability to reinvest in care delivery. In this time of high turnover, the AGS AI Platform helps to reduce stress, prevent burnout, and improve job satisfaction by offering the ability to automate high-volume repetitive tasks, allowing skilled staff to focus on more complex tasks.
“AGS Health is excited to deliver this platform as a lifeline to provider organizations in challenging times,” says Patrice Wolfe, CEO of AGS Health. “With our industry expertise, AI-enhanced technology, and specialized services, AGS Health is helping healthcare organizations achieve the financial freedom necessary to invest in the latest healthcare innovations and deliver high-quality care to their communities.”
The platform allows healthcare organizations to gain enhanced visibility into day-to-day operations and the overall performance of the revenue cycle, including intelligent worklists, productivity reports, customizable dashboards, root cause analyses, and executive reporting. Performance trends and predictive analytics help to prevent bottlenecks, reduce denials, and mitigate revenue leakage.
Working in the ICU or a hospital can be extremely stressful. You’re assessing, monitoring, and treating some of the sickest and most injured patients in the hospital and that responsibility is heavy. Electronic ICU or eICU services have shown to remove a significant amount of stress from the shoulders of these medical heroes.
And because they don’t feel as much pressure of being the only one in charge of all the patients, they can perform their job duties much more efficiently and competently. Here are the main ways eICU services are providing relief to ICU employees.
An Additional Layer of Care
In recent years, hospitals have become severely understaffed. The causes of this staffing shortage are many, but the end result is that the medical professionals who show up to work are extremely overworked. And as anyone who has taken on more responsibilities than they can handle will tell you, being overworked leads to burnout and mistakes, which can then translate into poor patient outcomes.
No ICU professional goes into the field intending to do the minimum they can for patients. On the contrary: they often do everything possible to ensure a patient recovers. But, when resources are lacking, each person in the ICU can only do so much. The implementation of eICU technology removes a lot of the burden on ICU staff members’ shoulders.
Patients can be assessed immediately, even if an in-person nurse or doctor isn’t available. The technology is so advanced that the remote physician can zoom in on a patient’s IV bag to see the exact units in the bag. They can visually assess patients and see their vitals in real-time on their monitors. An in-person physician or nurse doesn’t have to stop what they’re doing with one patient to assess another, resulting in better patient outcomes for everyone.
A More Collaborative Environment
It’s challenging to have to make critical decisions multiple times a day, but it’s even more taxing if you have to make them on your own. ICU professionals are frequently put in this position and the outcomes of those decisions can weigh heavily on them. A remote ICU setup, though, removes the need for one person to make those decisions because they can always contact the physician who is monitoring their patients remotely.
Bouncing ideas off of other medical professionals and possibly getting new perspectives on treatments is invaluable to ICU staff members who may be overwhelmed with the care responsibilities they have. Just knowing you don’t have to make all the decisions by yourself can eliminate one of the major stressors of an ICU professionals’ job.
It all comes down to what is best for ICU patients and that is having more people involved in their care. Remote ICU services allow patients to have access to therapists, intensivists, and specialty physicians like cardiologists and oncologists whenever they need them. There’s no need to wait for a person to get to the hospital to get those assessments or treatments underway, which means the ICU staff can spend their time on other ICU tasks that can’t be done remotely.
Conclusion
Tele ICU services are making the ICU profession less stressful and medical professionals feel more supported when they know there’s someone they can always count on to be there for them and their patients. This will ultimately lead to more people staying in the job for longer and higher job satisfaction scores.
By Shriya Palekar, AVP Health Plan Solutions, TytoCare.
The COVID-19 outbreak led many to realize the transformative value the virtual world can bring to their industries. The healthcare industry – where virtual care and telehealth integration are becoming more and more accepted – is no exception.
In fact, telehealth utilization rates have stabilized, ranging from 13% to 17% of total care visits across all specialties in 2021, compared to pre-pandemic levels – an upward trend that has continued in 2022.
These spikes, however, do not guarantee that virtual care will become universally accepted, especially when it comes to primary and routine care that go beyond on-demand needs. Many health plan members are used to in-person appointments for these types of care, and 53% of people still prefer an in-person visit for a non-emergency health issue, assuming out-of-pocket costs are not a factor.
Given this reluctance, the question remains: how can health plans boost adoption rates of virtual primary and urgent care for the benefit of both members and the overall healthcare system?
When looking beyond urgent and acute medical services, there are still barriers to virtual care adoption that need to be addressed. The path to increased virtual care adoption for routine care lies in differentiating unique segments of members and understanding their needs individually. Health plans and healthcare systems need to engage their members by understanding who they are and by breaking them down into clear population segments to reveal their unique needs, and understand how best to personally incentivize these groups to buy-in to the world of virtual and hybrid care.
Americans collectively owe almost $200 billion in medical debt. With inflation rising, the cost of living increasing, and healthcare providers struggling to keep up with post-pandemic demand, this ballooning debt is causing patients and providers alike a lot of undue stress.
At the same time, the country’s medical debt collection processes are changing. In March, credit reporting agencies announced they will exclude all medical debt under $500 from credit reports by the first quarter of 2023. Furthermore, agencies will wait longer to report larger medical debts to accommodate patients who need more time to figure out and calculate their healthcare payment status.
Healthcare leaders are under pressure to make patient bill care easier and more transparent. They need ways to remain profitable while putting patients — and their financial well-being — first.
Why is prioritizing patient well-being such a challenge?
It’s clear that one of the healthcare industry’s priorities in the coming years must be making healthcare profitable for providers and affordable for patients. But what does this mean in practical terms? Why is this balancing act still so challenging for healthcare leaders?
For starters, the industry’s surroundings have shifted drastically in the last few years, and the economy has not lent itself to profitability or well-being. We’re living with a 40-year high in inflation, and deductibles are up without a match in salary increases. Patient payers are taking on more of the financial responsibility of their healthcare, and 49% of Americans wouldn’t be able to pay an unexpected $500 medical bill without going into debt.
This financial landscape is very real for patients, and stress is high. Emotional turmoil has always been part and parcel of healthcare — people are full of fear when they or their loved ones are sick and in pain — but stress is especially overwhelming now with medical debt carrying even higher stakes.
Patient expectations have also changed. They are seasoned digital consumers now with several choices in most areas of their lives. While people need a safe and clear healthcare experience, they also want a retail-like experience with the ability to choose their preferred methods for care, payment plans, and communication.
Education is at the core of every successful profession. It provides you with the tools, knowledge, and experience that positively influence the outcomes of your work. However, some industries heavily rely on pedagogy more than others, out of which healthcare dominates them all.
The healthcare sector plays a vital role in patient care, impacting community wellness. It ensures that patients are healthy, protected by robust policies, and skilled professionals work with the community. The healthcare industry has many tasks to accomplish in a day. Therefore, the field has to hire highly qualified medical workers willing to commit to lifelong learning. Here’s how educated medical experts keep the sector flourishing:
Better Care Provided By Nurses
Nurses are necessary to ensure patients get the help they need. They need to record patient data, relay the information to doctors and take care of the patients undergoing treatment. As a nurse, you can start your career with an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN). Still, this qualification alone cannot prepare you to independently care for patients and ensure their safety. An ADN degree is only a stepping stone into the healthcare sector. If you want to become a registered nurse, you will need to polish specific skills, knowledge, and expertise.
Going from ADN to BSN online will save you time and fill in the gaps in your knowledge and skills. You will have the confidence to communicate more openly and professionally with a diverse group of patients. A BSN degree will also help you work on complex cases without hesitation. Such as establishing a standard EHR language, interpreting lab results, and resuscitating crashing patients. This will make patients more comfortable around you, trust your judgment, and make you a better patient advocate.
By Travis Schneider, chief corporate development chair, Tebra.
In a digital-first world, it is more important than ever for physicians to implement strategies that meet patients where they are. To grow and retain a patient base, physicians must implement tools and technologies that set them apart from other practices and physicians online. With the right practice growth software and business strategies, independent practices can quickly execute the best methods to grow and retain their patient base.
Optimize Your Website For Search Engines
When selecting a healthcare provider in today’s digital age, 74.5% of patients turn to the internet. To remain competitive, your practice needs a strong online presence. First, examine and optimize your website by ensuring it is user-friendly and that information like phone numbers, provider information, and addresses are accurate.
Search engines, like Google, are where patients start searching for healthcare information. Ensuring your website features keywords related to the practice and healthcare field can help boost the search engine optimization (SEO) ranking. The higher a practice website ranks, the more visibility the website will have with potential patients using Google to find their next physician.
Another way to optimize a website is by ensuring that the pages of the website are also SEO friendly. This means content on a website should be unique, include links to drive traffic, and have relevant keywords throughout the page content.
Maintain a Great Online Presence
Start by claiming and updating your Google business profile through Google My Business (GMB) to build an excellent online presence. Doing so will ensure prospective patients see the most accurate information about your practices and services. In addition, by displaying various business information in multiple formats, Google makes it easier for patients to find information about your practice without the need to navigate directly to your website.
Like your Google business profile, updating your profile on popular sites like WebMD, Yelp, and Facebook is crucial. All information must be accurate and engaging. For example, include your practice address, hours of operation, key services, and photos or videos showcasing your office and providers. In addition, patients may research potential new doctors; without updated profiles, you risk losing patients.
Take Advantage of Patient Feedback
According to PatientPop’s survey, 74% of patients report that reviews affect their decision-making when selecting a new provider. Having that positive reputation online can make a difference in retaining and growing a patient base as an independent practice.
Physicians should focus specifically on Google reviews, as 69.3% of patients report that they are more likely to rely on Google for authentic patient experiences. One way to encourage online reviews is by implementing patient satisfaction surveys. Additionally, PatientPop, a leader in practice growth technology, data reports state that patients being asked for feedback by their providers immediately after appointments are more than twice as likely to take the initiative of submitting online reviews.
Building an online presence and optimizing the patient experience will help physicians and independent practices retain and grow their patient bases over time. In addition, patients want to ensure they will be taken care of by the physician they choose to seek care from.
Examine the Complete Patient Experience
While it might sound like an obvious patient retention strategy, keeping your patients happy is essential, especially in a busy healthcare practice with many moving parts. Many factors can impact the patient experience at any point in the patient journey, so independent practices must understand the entire patient experience from when they find your practice to post-appointment follow-up.
The patients’ top priorities include a provider who listens, welcoming staff, and a short wait time. Patients will contemplate switching providers for greater convenience, so adding tools to simplify the patient experience is a valuable investment in patient retention.
From online scheduling and digital patient registration and intake to automated appointment reminders and telehealth options, providing simple conveniences can add to a better patient experience — and, ultimately, better patient reviews.
Communicate with Patients Directly
When physicians strengthen the provider-patient connection, it goes a long way in supporting a practice’s growth strategy. And it doesn’t have to be complicated. One easy way to do this is to communicate with patients how they prefer.
Current survey results indicate that 2 out of 3 patients prefer to receive appointment reminders via text message. However, when the questions they have might be more involved—say, questions about you or your staff—nearly one-third prefer a phone call. These statistics show patients prefer human contact and communication when things get complex.
Practices can also take retention communications one step further by implementing email marketing campaigns. These campaigns can be custom-designed to increase patient engagement, provide specific information about health conditions, and share practice updates. By segmenting your patient base through email marketing campaigns, you can deliver targeted, relevant information that matters to patients while also establishing a deeper connection with patients.
Patients have an abundance of healthcare providers to choose from, and with big players like CVS, Walmart, and Amazon entering the landscape, the competition is fierce. As a result, independent practices must prioritize their online presence and patient experience. The ultimate key to success for independent practices is cultivating patient relationships over time.
The COVID pandemic hastened the digitization process of many companies. As people lean towards availing services online, many businesses realize the potential of moving to a digital platform. Doing so made purchasing more convenient for the buyers. The same can also apply to Medicare.
Recent industry articles about fixing the Medicare buying process mention that the Medicare buying system is seriously flawed. It is outdated and in need of serious reform.
Buying a Medicare plan usually takes place over the phone- a traditional agent-to-consumer relationship. However, is this the best way to sell Medicare plans?
Choosing a healthcare policy is complex, mainly because of various choices. A 15- to 30-minute phone call with an incentive-hungry agent would not be enough to cover all the intricacies of choosing a Medicare plan.
How can Digitalization Help in the Medicare Buying Process?
Accenture reports that Americans 65 and over are most likely to have used electronic health records in the last year among health technology users. Moreover, their research also reveals that people are extremely enthusiastic about virtual health and artificial intelligence. It is a wonder that most health insurers still think digital is just for the young.
Clearly, anyone surprised about seniors’ desire for digital health hasn’t been paying attention. Over the past few years, silver surfers have become a force to be reckoned with in the digital world. The healthcare system that does not embrace them as digital health consumers is falling behind its rivals. This consumer segment is experiencing a significant shift, putting these providers even further behind.
AGS Health
