Banty Co-Founder and Medical Director, Dr. Richard Tytus, provided the subject matter and direction for this article.The author would like to thank Adam Grant for his editorial assistance in writing the article. Dr. Richard Tytus takes responsibility for the content of the article.
Once you have introduced virtual medicine to your medical clinic, you have made an important step toward improving workflow and patient care. Of course, it will take some time for you and the rest of the clinical team to get used to seeing more patients online than in-person. However, before you know it, your online medicine offerings will feel like second nature to you.
All of that said, it is important to not get complacent with the telemedicine services you offer patients. Doing so will eventually leave your clinic feeling stagnant and patients wondering if participating in online doctor’s appointments is something they should continue doing.
To keep your telehealth initiatives running strong, you must stay ahead of the curve. Here’s how to do that:
Always Aim to Improve
Just like you would when seeing patients in-person, it always makes a lot of sense to recognize how your appointments are structured and what you can do to improve them over time.
When it comes to virtual medicine appointments, there are a number of things worth keeping an eye on. For instance, how does your video feed look? How clear is your audio? Also, are you making consistent eye contact where possible and interacting with a patient as you would if they were in your office?
If you find that any of the above is not going as well as it should, immediately find ways to improve. Get a better webcam and/or install brighter lighting. Invest in a high-quality external microphone. Focus your eyes properly. Do not let the idea of an online doctor visit shift how you would normally communicate with patients.
Seek Feedback
Sometimes, it can be hard for a professional to recognize all of the improvements they should make at their place of business. This, though, doesn’t mean said individual should assume everything is as great as it could be.
To ensure patients are happy with the online doctor’s appointments being offered to them, seek feedback from them. Find out which aspects they are fond of, could do without, or would like to see in the not-too-distant future.
Since these patients are the ones trusting you with hosting a medical appointment via a live video chat online, it’s imperative to know how they are feeling about the experience – good or bad.
Keep an Eye Out for New Solutions and Trends
Like most industries, the virtual medicine one is a continually evolving beast. New entities are frequently entering the marketplace, while improved technologies are often emerging. As a healthcare professional, it is on you to keep track of such things. Doing so will allow your clinic to stay current in terms of how patient video calls are being conducted.
Failure to keep an eye out for advancements and new tech solutions in the online medicine space could lead to a less-than-ideal virtual visit experience for patients. Dragging your heels could also result in staff feeling frustrated by having to deal with outdated technology on a day-to-day basis.
Stop Having Traditional Phone Call Appointments
Many doctors nowadays consider traditional telephone appointments with patients a great way to conduct remote appointments. While this method can be helpful on occasion, doctors should always seek a virtual medicine solution that allows them to see patients when speaking with them.
By abandoning traditional telephone appointments and focusing solely on video calls, healthcare professionals will have an easier time seeing a person’s condition, versus simply hearing about it.
If a patient has trouble understanding how to see a doctor online, see that your clinical team is trained to provide proper guidance.
