In today’s increasingly connected world, accessibility, convenience and efficiency have become the watchwords for industries everywhere. Whether it’s paying bills, ordering food, watching movies, booking appointments or all other manner of daily activities, time is a valuable commodity — and there is little room for businesses that don’t recognize that fact. As consumers, we have grown unaccustomed to waiting.
On a large scale, however, patients have yet to demand that same level of service from their health care providers.
Accessing health care services is becoming more difficult as physicians take on a larger number of patients. According to a 2015 report from Vitals.com, the average time spent in a waiting room at a doctor’s office is 19 minutes and 16 seconds, which doesn’t take into consideration the time spent making the appointment, traveling to the appointment or making any other necessary arrangements. That time and effort really adds up, particularly when considering that the median time a patient spends face-to-face with a doctor is just 15 minutes, according to the 2010 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.
The fact of the matter is that many of the 1 billion doctor visits that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports occur each year in the United States can be avoided altogether. As a physician, I see many patients whose questions could be addressed using smartphone technology. A quick conversation via video chat with a physician could be sufficient in getting the information needed to address these health questions.
Right now, many patients are taking it upon themselves to circumvent the waiting room issue by turning to more unreliable methods like self-diagnosing using Internet research. But medical experts are called so for a reason, as they are the only ones knowledgeable and qualified to make health assessments and recommendations. What we need is a bridge between efficiency and efficacy, between cost-effectiveness and quality of care.
That’s where telemedicine comes into play.
Telemedicine leverages technology to connect patients with physicians remotely, eliminating distance barriers and improving access to professional help. Whether it be a phone call, an email or a text, telemedicine allows for immediate access to health care providers. The implications for telemedicine are far-reaching, and have the potential to completely transform the health care industry for the better.
Take for instance those unnecessary doctor visits, which are easily the biggest contributor to the long waiting room times and short doctor/patient face time. Too often, these visits are simply to determine if an ailment actually needs the attention of a doctor. When the answer is no, it is a completely wasted trip. But if a patient is simply wondering if a skin irritation is minor or symptomatic of a more serious condition, having the ability to text message a doctor or text a photo of the affected area to a physician to get an informed opinion on next steps could be a major time saver — not to mention that it gives the patient peace of mind, faster. By streamlining that first contact, the whole industry will begin to see positive effects as less time and money is wasted in the waiting room.
Telemedicine is a rapidly emerging field as many companies (including mine) are developing innovative new ways of leveraging video calls, texting and other means of communication to create a more accessible health care system — and consumers are jumping on board. In the early part of this year alone, there were more than a half million messages sent between our members and physicians using the First Opinion app, making it clear that this level of on-demand service is something that is very much wanted in the health care industry.
It’s a win-win, as doctors can effectively serve more patients while building more meaningful relationships with them, and patients can get the fast, convenient cost-effective medical attention they need. And why should we expect anything less than accessibility, convenience and efficiency from our doctors?
More from U.S. News
HIPAA: Protecting Your Health Information
5 Common Preventable Medical Errors
10 Questions Doctors Wish Their Patients Would Ask
The Promise of Telemedicine originally appeared on usnews.com
