The Importance of Telehealth During COVID and Beyond

Among the many things that COVID-19 has revealed to us, one important revelation we’ve seen is just how convenient and effective telehealth services can be. In a recent study by FAIR Health, research showed an increase of 4,347% in telehealth utilization nationally from March 2019 to March 2020. Additionally, many telehealth providers and hospitals are encouraging patients who might typically go to the doctor’s office or the hospital, to instead utilize telehealth services for non-life-threatening care.

 

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise all across the nation, it is important that employers join providers and hospitals in encouraging their workers to either continue or start to utilize telehealth services for access to quick, convenient and affordable care.

 

Educating Your Employees on Telehealth

We are and always have been creatures of habit. This is why many employees might be hesitant to use telehealth services – they are not comfortable with it because they have never before used it or in some cases even heard of telehealth services.

While telehealth is a newer type of health care, modern platforms are typically very user-friendly and they operate similarly to other popular video call platforms. Simply explaining this to your employees can oftentimes be enough to encourage them to embrace it as an option.

It’s important that you provide educational resources that are easy to understand to your employees. Information provided to employees should cover:

  • What is telehealth?
  • What type of conditions should telehealth be used to diagnose and treat?
  • In what cases should telehealth NOT be used?
  • How can employees access telehealth services via your healthcare plan?

We recommend working with a hands-on employee benefits broker that is willing to go the extra mile and educate your employees on telehealth.

Explaining the Benefits of Telehealth

Telehealth services have many benefits including:

  • Minimized risk to health care workers and patients by limiting exposure to the coronavirus and other diseases
  • Increased services for chronic patient monitoring, follow-up visits, therapy appointments and post-operative care
  • Improved health care outcomes due to increased access to care, particularly for preventive services
  • Greater ability for patients to follow shelter-in-place restrictions or suggestions by staying home and away from hospitals, except for emergencies
  • Increased convenience due to receiving care in the comfort of your home
  • Potentially increased cost savings, depending on the health plan

While every employee’s situation is different, these benefits of telehealth services apply to almost everyone.

Communicating the Role of Telehealth

Telehealth services are important in helping workers stay healthy, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s important that you communicate to your employees that using these services can help them remain healthy and gives them access to convenient care during this time. For more information on telehealth, contact Advantage Benefit Solutions.

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