Are you wondering what is telecardiology? Do you want to know why you might need it? Well, this is the right place to find out.
Telecardiology bridges the gap between patient and doctor, who would otherwise be distant and unable to provide support for each other. With telehealth, a patient can achieve medical care from anywhere.
In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about smart telecardiology as the means of securing cardio health for future and present people.
Whenever you’re ready to learn more, keep reading and get your notes handy.
What Is Telecardiology?
Telecardiology might seem to be an odd experience at first. But it’s something essential to future and current modern life.
The majority of patients who use telehealth services are truly satisfied with them. Many of them prefer telehealth over office visits.
Telecardiology is the process of performing cardiology medical activities with patients from a remote location, using wearables, video calls, phones, etc. Doctor offices are often inconvenient, which stops many people from booking appointments in the first place.
Telecardiology removes the weaknesses of an in-office visit, such as the hassle of waiting. Patients can see their doctor from the comfort of their home, receiving the same or better quality of medicine.
It’s also much easier to reschedule and have follow-up visits. Follow-up appointments can be a problem for the patient, who has to visit the doctor several times a week. With telecardiology, appointments are tailored to the schedule of the patient.
Some patients in telecardiology might have a condition that does not allow them to be around sick patients. This can be hard to achieve when visiting a doctor in person because there is a high risk of illness transmission. From their home, there is no risk of contracting a disease from another patient.
Telecardiology also makes it simple for doctors to peer-review diagnoses. This will guarantee that you get the best possible outcomes from your diagnosis in a short amount of time. Diagnosis requires a second opinion, and if the patient is unsatisfied with the opinion of the doctor, they can schedule a visit with another within moments.
Telecardiology Is Cheap
The healthcare system in the United States is exceedingly expensive. It’s so costly that visiting emergency rooms or specialist doctors is not an option available for many.
Telehealth will save employers billions of dollars over the next years. This will make insurance plans more affordable and accessible to every worker. The majority of progressive employers will offer telehealth as part of their employee insurance plan.
But the technology won’t only help employers. It will also save individuals hundreds of dollars from office visits.
Offering telehealth will help patients keep their money. But they also get a chance to visit a doctor they might have not visited in another circumstance.
How Does Telecardiology Work?
Telecardiology is quite simple.
A 12-lead ECG test is completed at your local facility. The image is transmitted over the internet or phone as an audio signal live. Once this data stream reaches the telecardiology specialist, the signal is converted to an image.
A cardiologist will interpret the image and send his opinion over fax, email, phone, or live chat. The diagnosis specialist will also provide a voice report.
This process of telecardiology is so fast. You might get your results before you even leave your local facility where you did the test.
Telecardiology resolves many of the existing gaps in medicine. Not having a cardiologist at your local facility no longer means that you have to wait days for a result. Not to mention, considering the opinion of a general physician with no experience in the field might lead to serious problems down the way.
Why ECG Tests?
In the modern practice of medicine, telecommunication is capable of transmitting all kinds of medical data in a single moment. The type of data applicable to telecardiology is ECG tests. It’s quite common to have a specialist from a different location review results and send their opinion.
When a clinic does not staff a cardiologist, they can still acquire the experienced opinion of one remotely. This problem is common in locations that do not have dense populations. They will send your tests over to a greater metropolitan area and have a specialist interpret them.
Other reasons for ECG tests being used in telecardiology are training and teaching. As well as covering cardiologists on holiday and staff sharing. Second opinions and covering nighttime hours are also applicable.
Overcoming Challenges
While commonly used across the US, telecardiology is of benefit to rural locales. As rural medical systems experience closure, some specialists will remain part of larger medical systems. Ensuring that they can treat patients.
This makes sure that patients stay in their locale and don’t need to travel hours for a simple opinion. Integrated medical systems with hospital teams and doctors are being developed to ensure that patients can receive cardiology care from their homes.
Reimbursement challenges will regularly appear in the healthcare system. Reimbursement and healthcare regulations are under continual change. And with the recent pandemic events, they have become favored towards clinics providing specialty services.
The Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services have extended the reach of their reimbursement. For instance, telephone cardiology visits (previous uncovered) are not reimbursed during public health emergencies. Clinicians are now able to provide a larger variety of services without the worry of reimbursement or excessive cost to patients.
Telehealth for You
Now that you know what telecardiology is and what it can do for you. You are that much closer to connecting with a large network of cardiologists. In any case, there’s really no rush, if you’re only thinking about it now.
Telecardiology is extremely beneficial to all parties involved, so don’t miss out. If you’re interested in telehealth services, get in touch with us and we will happily accommodate your needs.