Today’s technology is empowering how patients, doctors, nurses, and pharmacists experience healthcare. These technological developments fall under the telehealth field, which covers everything from telemedicine to other related services such as telenursing and telepharmacy. Regardless of the service needed—whether a consult or prescription—patients conveniently access these through smart devices such as laptops and smartphones. The physical distance is crossed with the quick, real-time access of a virtual one.

Doctors and nurses gather high volumes of data on a daily basis. Over 2.5 exabytes of data were measured on a daily basis in 2012, from the healthcare industry. From patient histories, laboratory test results, diagnosis, to drug prescriptions, hospitals are a goldmine of medical information. Electronic health records (EHR) alone gather data at lightning speeds. The healthcare industry’s collective data can be described as high volume, high velocity, and high variety—in other words, there is the potential to gather and analyze big data. Volume is the amount of data measured in petabytes or terabytes; variety is the different types of data such as video, text, audio, and log files; velocity is the speed of data processing streams from sources such as mobile devices and machine-to-machine transfers.

Healthcare is one of the most demanding industries out there. Every staff member must work as efficient and effective as possible in order to ensure the patients’ health and well-being. In the last few decades, health informatics has helped in driving better results and sustainable healthcare for patients. Health informatics combines computer technology, informational science, and healthcare to keep up with the demands and constant changes in medicine. It all began with introducing computers to keep patient records. Since then, health informatics has become a source of important statistical information such as medicine distribution and monitoring patient progress. 

The healthcare industry’s concerns have gone beyond what patients need. Today’s increasingly advanced digital, mobile-based age has shifted the focus of healthcare researchers, market research companies, app developers, and  IT technology business toward mobile health (mHealth) apps. This year alone reported the availability of over 318,000 health apps. The public’s immediate and higher adoption of smartphones and the rise of investors looking into the digital health market are behind this surge. Accenture’s 2018 Consumer Survey on Digital Health reports that 75% of consumers indicated the importance of information technology in healthcare and disease management. It also states that 48% of healthcare consumers are using mHealth apps.

Every business must keep up with the fast pace and immediate benefits from technology, especially in today’s healthcare companies. Technology has stepped in to provide an efficient, fast, and accessible solution. Telemedicine allows medical information to be exchanged from a distance. All kinds of medical information, such as diagnosis, clinical management, treatment, and medical education, are communicated despite the distance.

Telemedicine provides immediate healthcare services through information and communication technologies. In other words, you can now consult online with a doctor no matter how far the hospital may be from your home. Healthcare organizations are offering a wide range of telehealth services to patients, such as the tele-ICU, telecardiology, and other variants. Tapan Mehta, head of Cisco Systems’ global healthcare marketing has seen “a number of hospitals and clinics integrate telehealth technologies for a variety of use cases such as teledermatology, teleradiology, telestroke, etc.” He elaborates that the Stanford Dermatology Clinic now offers a weekly teledermatology clinic as part of its “outreach, treatment, referral, and consultative capabilities.”

Technology is changing the face and means of healthcare. Thanks to smartphones, data plans, and integrated devices, more individuals can access a medical consultation without having to visit a hospital or pay the extra costs that come with clinical care. But the level up goes beyond virtual or a remote consultation. Invest enough and you can enjoy the perks of personalized patient concierge support. Unlike the traditional hospital visit or telemedicine consult, patient concierge technologies provide everything from medical assistance, appointment setting, and other personalized services through the quick, real time pace of the Internet

An excellent patient scheduling routine is one indicator that your business is on the right track. However, poor scheduling can jeopardize your current Home Healthcare business, affecting your company’s revenue and bottom line. Here are 4 tips for efficient and effective patient scheduling to guide you through the process: