Electronic Health Reporter

The medical profession has come a long way from the days when doctors made house calls carrying little black bags with everything they needed for their trade. Changes have occured to the medical profession that have greatly improved the overall health care that patients have access to. Advances in technology have been able to both help improve health outcomes and wellbeing. Technology allows doctors to gain real time data about how their patients are doing. While there are many areas where technology helps patient outcomes, four that should be highlighted include telemedicine, decreasing financial burdens, improving patients’ access to care, and allowing patients to take more control over their own health and wellbeing.

Telemedicine

Telemedicine allows patients to be in contact with their doctors and other healthcare professionals in the virtual environment. Easy access to telemedicine assists patients in following their doctor’s recommendations because they have access to chat and other communication features which allow them to voice their concerns and get a response in real time. In addition telemedicine assists doctors in monitoring their patients, especially when they are taking prescriptions, such as Phentermine, for weight loss or antidepressants, to regularly check to see if dosages should be adjusted. Telemedicine that includes mental health check ins mean doctors can gain more data points around their patients and be better able to notice trends. Telemedicine is also one way to help foster a feeling of connectedness between health care providers and patients which means there can be a greater level of trust and a quicker resolution to health issues.

Decreasing Financial Burdens

Both healthcare providers and patients often face a complex system for billing for medical procedures and tests. Technology helps remove financial barriers to care by providing transparency. Online tools provide providers and patients a better understanding of what each health insurance plan covers and how to code procedures in the most cost effective way. If patients are able to know upfront what certain procedures will cost them and how much of that is covered by their insurance they are more likely to be able to budget and be able to pay in full which reduces the need of doctors and healthcare providers to work with collection agencies in order to recoup their money. This is a situation where everyone wins.

Giving Patients Access To Care

Patients can access a wide range of health programs from the comforts of home. Patients can join a wide range of programs or take courses online that focus on their mental health or help them eat better. There are programs available for any budget and allow patients to gain the knowledge they need in order to stay healthy. One of the major benefits of technology in such health programs is that individuals are able to get regular feedback and are better able to course correct as they go. 

This also means that patients are better able to find ways to adjust the programs to fit their particular struggles. For example, a general course on nutrition with a certified nutritionist online can be adapted for food allergies or health based diet concerns, such as if someone needs to take into account their heart health, their kidney issues, or their diabetes when meal planning. This individualization is much more helpful than simply telling a patient they should eat better, should simply eat more veggies, or simply cut out grapefruit because of the prescriptions they are on at the time.

Allowing Patients To Monitor Their Own Health

Today there are many gadgets that help patients monitor their own health. For example many people have some device that helps count their steps and show how active they are over the course of a day so that they can stay fit. Others have devices that help remind them to breathe and be mindful in order to improve their mental health. Still others use technology such as continuous glucose monitoring to stay on top of their diabetes. In each of these cases technology allows patients to monitor themselves and know how they are doing in between check ups with their medical professionals. Having this data helps patients choose healthier alternatives and decrease their need to rely on the healthcare or emergency room system.