Over the past decade, the use of technology with the focus on optimizing the consumer experience has exploded throughout numerous industries, including education, retail, and entertainment. Within health care, we would be naïve to ignore patient expectations for an optimized consumer experience within our offices. Thus, clinicians across all health care disciplines must remain cognizant of and work to optimize the patient experience in the ever-expanding world of health care.
Reengineering one’s practice will continue to be a work in progress. As medicine and technology continuously advance, clinicians must be able to adapt and implement changes. An excellent example of such adaptation is the use of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic.1 We hope that the use of telemedicine remains an integral part of our armamentarium as we move forward.
In this article, we offer perspectives on using telemedicine, improving the patient experience, and implementing the use of social media in your practice. We look for a common denominator when provision of clinical care is the topic of discussion. Knowing the details of your medical practice and addressing its highlights as well as its concerns will benefit patients, staff, and health care providers. We hope that you glean some insights that you can apply in your practice.
Telemedicine: Part of the new normal
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists defines telehealth as a “technology-enhanced health care framework that includes services, such as virtual visits, remote patient monitoring and mobile health care.”2 The American Telemedicine Association and the World Health Organization use the terms telemedicine and telehealth interchangeably.3 We live in a relatively new era since the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated that traditional face-to-face meeting(s) with patients be conducted virtually. The good news is that the outcomes with telehealth visits appear to be on par with those of traditional office visits.4
Telehealth allows clinicians to deliver medical evaluation and management plans right in a patient’s home and to receive appropriate reimbursement for doing so. This is a result of actions by Congress and the Department of Health and Human Services that removed restrictions related to telemedicine.5 The telemedicine approach provides a different perspective on provision of care (FIGURE 1).
For telemedicine practice, prerequisites include having the appropriate hardware, software, and a secure internet connection to maintain quality and patient safety.4 It is wise to check with regulatory laws at the local, state, and federal levels, as some states have separate licensure requirements for delivering this type of health care. Review insurance carrier guidelines as well as medical malpractice coverage for telehealth care provision. Ideally, obtain proof in writing from third-party payers and malpractice insurance carriers. TABLE 1 lists ObGyn-related activities and services that can be provided via telemedicine.3
While in many circumstances the indications for telemedicine are obvious, some remain less apparent. For example, patients may be more receptive to the use of telemedicine for counseling and education for family planning services and termination of pregnancy.6 Psychological counseling lends itself to a telemedicine approach to address levels of anxiety and depression, especially in the postpartum setting.
An initial telemedicine consultation often is complemented by subsequent patient examination when deemed necessary. Pelvic imaging often is ordered to address concerns expressed during the telemedicine visit. Teleradiology is an interesting aspect of telemedicine that is expanding. Telesonography, the use of ultrasonography, is extremely relevant to obstetrics and gynecology. Specifically, the development of self-operated endovaginal telemonitors and 3D as well as 4D imaging incorporates self-operated endovaginal telemonitoring. This technology remains a work in progress.7
Another aspect to telemedicine is telesurgery. Although an operative procedure cannot be performed virtually, pre- and postoperative counseling can be provided via telemedicine, offering tremendous convenience to patients.
Understanding the infrastructure of telemedicine and assuring security, adherence with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), state licensure, reimbursement, and medical malpractice aspects is well worth the effort.
Continue to: Reengineer your office to enhance the patient experience...