With the recent COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth saw a huge uptick in popularity, however, telehealth no longer appears to be patients’ first choice.
We can help your practice stay on top of the latest healthcare news, rules, regulations and trends. Subscribe to stay current and up to date on important matters that will impact your practice. (To subscribe to our blog Click Here).
Despite the initial surge in popularity for telehealth, it appears that telehealth appointments are dropping.
A recent Epic study found that telehealth visits dropped to 21.2% of ambulatory visits in July. 78.8% of visits were conducted in physician offices.
Telehealth’s popularity was at it’s peak in April, but has since declined with many patients opting for in-office appointments.
If you’ve found telehealth to be beneficial for your practice and your patients, how can you keep encouraging telehealth appointments?
First, let your patients know what appointments are best for telehealth appointments and which are better suited for in-office appointments. Educating your patients can help them to make the correct appointment.
Make sure to have telehealth information available on your website and at your office. Let your patients know what they can expect from a telehealth visit.
Also, let your patients know what devices they will need to have a successful telehealth appointment. Do they need a blood pressure monitor? What about a scale? Will your office work with patients to get them any necessary devices?
Communication with your patients is key.
If your office was doing telehealth visits, but you’d rather transition back to in-office procedures, make sure to communicate that to your patients.
Reassure them about the steps you are taking to protect their health and safety. Are you sanitizing your office more frequently? Are you taking patient temperatures? What else are you doing to make your patients feel at ease? A little reassurance can go a long way!
Also, let them know why you prefer in-office visits.
Let us know if you’re transitioning back to all in-office appointments or if you’re still utilizing telehealth by commenting below!
In our next blog post, we will keep you informed of related issues. To get this important information delivered directly to your mail box, Click here to Subscribe.
Do you need help staying current and compliant with the latest laws, rules and regulations? We can help. To contact us about your new government rules and regulations, your practice’s risk assessment, or about your other legal needs: CLICK HERE.
