Overview
Businesses that provide medical benefits for their employees face a variety of challenges. These businesses want to provide high quality, and easily accessible healthcare to their employees, but high costs associated with that care, sometimes creates an impact on the business’s annual budget.
Likewise, employees frequently opt for benefit plans with high deductibles, which, while providing lower monthly premiums, can result in more expensive doctor’s visit costs. Often, due to time constraints, employees are unable to conveniently visit their doctor and receive medical treatment when in need.
They are often forced to receive care at urgent care centers or emergency rooms where the care is often much more episodic and expensive. Worse yet, they avoid much-needed care and smaller problems turn into much larger and costly problems.
The goal of a virtual occupational medical practice that provides telemedicine services is to make medical care accessible and affordable for employees in a way that is financially beneficial for the employer too. Read more about Occupational Medicine EHR
How to Deliver Simple, Affordable Employee Care
Giving employees easy access to health care with a personal touch is the primary aim of the Telemedicine Services. Professionals working from 9-5, coming home to care for their children, and maintaining their home, don’t always have room in their schedules for doctor visits even when they get sick.
Telemedicine services take out the hassle of doctor visits with consultations by phone, video chat, or secure messaging.
In response to a recent survey, a patient stated, “My daughter was away at college when she became ill, and the doctor worked with me to get her an antibiotic in a nearby drug store. Pleasantly surprised when the doctor called my home twice to check on my daughter’s progress the following week, something our primary care doctor has never done.” Telemedicine solutions is able to give patients the attention they need, any time of day.
Fran Wynnik, H.R. Manager says, “our employees are also seeing a 12% reduction in their costs for 2016. Needless to say in this day and age of continuing cost increases, this is a very significant saving.”
Patients benefit from reduced costs, in that they have the option to avoid more expensive Urgent Care and sick visits during winter months when patients are more prone to colds and seasonal illnesses. The ease of getting medical treatment via a phone call saves time as well as money since there is no need to wait for hours in a busy clinic.
Lowering the Cost of Health Care for the Employer
Hamilton Fulton Montgomery Boces, a public school in Montgomery County, NY, since rolling out Occupational Telemedicine, has seen significant savings in their medical care programs.
“Last school year we decided to provide our organization with virtual medical care. Since that time we have saved well over $300,000, have a high participation rate and have outstanding customer satisfaction,” says Dr. Patrick Michel, District Superintendent of Schools, HFM BOCES. The school saves $51,000 annually from reduced worker absenteeism alone.
Telehealth Makes Businesses Healthier & Productive
Convenient, cost-effective telehealth solutions make healthcare more efficient and accessible to greater numbers of people. That’s because more people can get the care they need faster, and at a lower cost. Medical, workers compensation and mental health savings make telemedicine a foundation of healthcare and operational change for organizations and businesses.
Telemedicine provides comprehensive and personalized healthcare. Besides just treating simple minor conditions via Telehealth, providers can order labs, x-rays, and follow up with patients. This allows for a much broader scope of conditions that can be treated and a personal trust that’s created with patients.
Telehealth helps businesses reduce costs and worker absenteeism, resulting in better health outcomes and happier employees.
PrognoCIS has telemedicine solutions for every specialty that expand the connectivity and functionality of the EHR software using custom mobile applications. With integrated text, email and video, patient engagement is only a click away.
Using PrognoCIS Telemedicine you can quickly access patient charts, monitor patients remotely, and expand your practice’s geographical reach. Our solutions work together to provide the most convenient working conditions to see more patients at a lower administrative cost.
