2021 Elevated Telehealth From a Nice to Have, to a Must Have
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How telehealth was elevated in 2021
As the 2020 pandemic forced isolation measures and closed doctors offices, it created many new and challenging obstacles for healthcare that allowed telehealth to take the center stage. The rise of telehealth has provided increased communication, better data sharing capabilities, and increased patient access to care across many healthcare systems. As 2021 comes to a close, it is more apparent than ever that telehealth is here to stay.
Over the past year telehealth adoption rates and investment dollars have skyrocketed, reaching $14.7B in the first half of the year alone1, as its value has been clearly demonstrated and healthcare workers have become more comfortable with the technology. This age-old technology has seen many advances in recent years like increased video conferencing and communication capabilities that have enabled greater patient access and more use cases. The need for improved communication capabilities and streamlined processes have increased telehealth usage across rural and urban areas around the country. With the use of telehealth in 2021, patients were able to receive access to quality care regardless of their location or other limiting factors.
While the pandemic caused the exponential increase in telehealth adoption, its many benefits will excel the technology even after the pandemic is over. Telehealth solutions create an opportunity for healthcare teams and hospital systems to add value and gain ROI through streamlined communication and optimized workflow. Telehealth allows for:
- Increased collaboration among healthcare professionals, improving patient care
- Resources to stretch further, reducing burden and workload on healthcare workers while allowing more patients to be seen
- Pre-hospital patients can easily receive treat-in-place care or transport to alternate facilities by EMS.
- Reduction in emergency department overcrowding and virus spread or exposureAfter care and continuous care patients to easily connect with providers
- Visual, verbal and screen share capabilities that enable complete systems of care for providers
While April of 2020 saw the biggest spike in telehealth usage, 2021’s utilization leveled out at 38x higher than pre-pandemic times2. As we reflect on the past year and look to the future of telehealth, it is clear that the technology will continue to provide robust benefits and improved outcomes across the entire healthcare ecosystem.
Want to learn more about how GD’s telehealth solutions support the future of telemedicine? Start a conversation to discover how we can help you provide the right care at the right time and the right place in 2022.
About GD (General Devices)
GD is a NJ-based med tech company specializing in mobile telemedicine and telehealth solutions that help EMS and fire first responders, hospitals, and Mobile Integrated Healthcare deliver smarter, expedient patient care. Powered by responsive innovation, GD’s user-friendly solutions facilitate secure, mobile communications and rapid data sharing across acute and non-acute care teams to help save time, money and lives. Backed by a 40+ year history and thousands of implementations, GD is a widely revered industry leader. Visit https://general-devices.com/ to learn more.