April 24, 2020 -
Providers, health systems, and payers were slow to embrace change in telemedicine during the last few years. Telemedicine is not a new type of medicine, but rather simply a care delivery mechanism that can be utilized with some patients, some of the time, to provide quality care. However in times of COVID-19 telemedicine improves healthcare all over the world.
During the last years adoption of telehealth recalled following myths
Source: NEJM Catalyst, (catalyst.nejm.org)Massachusetts Medical Society
Case.io the "Case-sharing collaborative telemedicine platform" from Klughammer GmbH
Telemedicine is not hard when using Case.io. No software installation is necessary. Medical doctors register on Case.io and start working immediately.
In times of COVID-19 patients prioritize online contact over face-to-face visits. By using Case.io patients may contact physicians online. An online consultation may be started easily by a physician. The participants may use a PC, a tablet or a smartphone for the consultation. The consultation may be held location independent, as long as internet is available.
Physical examinations can be done online by talking to the patient or members of the family and by capturing the results of medical devices such as thermometer, pulse oximeter, scale, ECG transmitting data via Bluetooth to Case.io. In Case.io patient cases are created. Documents, pictures (general and DICOM) and videos may be stored in such a patient case. Pictures may be captured by the patient with a smartphone and uploaded automatically into the patient case.
Virtual visits are as effective as face-to-face consultations. This depends a lot on the physician. Especially for COVID-19 patients who might not be able to see their physician as often as needed, a collaborative telemedicine platform will bring an advantage for patients who will be able to contact their physician more often without leaving the house, without infecting others.
More and more countries start payment for virtual consultations. Especially in COVID-19 times social systems and health insurances pay for remote consultations. Case.io can be accessed 24-7/365. This allows even ICUs to connect with patients whenever necessary. Case.io is license based, independent of the amount of consultations. This makes the calculation easy for physicians and hospitals.
Interested medical stakeholder may contact Klughammer for a test account or during COVID-19 a free-of-charge account here Contact Form
