Just Add Your Providers: Why GlobalMed Solutions Are Provider Agnostic
Have you ever used a typical telehealth app? One of those that promise you can “see a doctor in minutes?” With most, you wait for a tele-doctor to appear onscreen, listen to your symptoms and prescribe something for your sore throat or pink eye.
It seems so convenient – until you place this televisit into the context of a more complete healthcare story. If your child keeps getting ear infections, for instance, this might seem like the quickest way for you to get him some antibiotics. You don’t have to sit in a waiting room of sick patients; your child gets faster care and doesn’t miss as much school.
But after a few televisits with different doctors, your child’s pediatrician diagnoses an undetected ear condition. It could have been caught earlier, but now it needs surgical intervention.
Disconnections Mean Gaps in Care
Can you spot the problem? Most telehealth companies force patients to use their providers, instead of letting providers use technology to see their own patients. This does a disservice to four players in the healthcare world:
• The patient usually has no choice of provider and doesn’t know the provider’s background. They don’t know if the doctor is experienced or reputable.
• That provider has no idea of the patient’s medical history. Instead he or she treats the issue in a vacuum and bases the diagnosis and treatment plan off symptoms reported over a video call.
• The patient’s PCP doesn’t know the visit happened or what medication was prescribed. They can’t spot the possible drug interactions or any underlying conditions.
• Healthcare organizations that arrange televisits are now outsourcing their money, brand reputation and care protocols to strangers. Patients who expected to deal with familiar hospital staff feel dismissed and don’t want to return to that hospital again.
These disconnections can lead to dangerous gaps in care: delayed treatment, negative drug interactions and even death. Consider that 20% of malpractice claims involve missed or delayed diagnoses due to faulty hand-offs between providers. 80% of serious medical errors involve miscommunication during care transitions to different providers.
GlobalMed Gives Control Back to Patients and Providers
There’s no doubt that telemedicine can bring quality care to the underserved – but it’s only quality care when patients and doctors are in control of their healthcare choices. That’s why GlobalMed offers provider-agnostic virtual care solutions that can help in multiple ways:
Practice growth.
Virtual care services are in demand. The aging Baby Boomer population is requiring more at-home care; 92% of Millennial and Gen Z patients want telemedicine capabilities from providers.
Better care outcomes.
Providers can deliver at-home care for disabled patients, connect rural patients to remote specialists and provide treatment in those critical minutes following strokes and heart attacks. They can also stay connected to current patients even when they’re traveling.
Smarter administration.
Instead of routing patients to third-party telehealth services, networks and hospitals can use telemedicine technology to manage capacity. They can use their own providers who know their care protocols and bedside manner, instead of risking their brand reputation by outsourcing.
Patient satisfaction.
No one wants to talk to a stranger when a mysterious pain strikes late at night as they travel through a distant city. Patients want to talk to their own doctor who already knows their medical and family history.
At GlobalMed, we’re known for achievements like serving villages in Zimbabwe and the White House Medical Unit, or empowering the most virtual consults on the planet. But what we really care about is making sure patients get the best healthcare possible. That’s why all our solutions are provider agnostic. Patients can see doctors they’re comfortable with, while providers can retain full visibility into their patients’ needs. Instead of one-and-done services, providers can monitor chronic conditions, check on surgical recovery and remotely serve patients at every point on the continuum of care.
Want to see how data-driven virtual care can help you? Get a GlobalMed demo today.
