Technology has been a trend this year. The many forms of it have allowed us to stay connected in countless ways. Most of us have relied on it while being away from family and friends, to check in with coworkers while working remotely, and to support our favorite restaurants in our cities with online ordering. A rapid increase in the use of telehealth services has shown it’s even helped us receive medical care.
In an interview with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Boston’s NPR News Station reported more than half a million telehealth visits over six weeks in March and April. That’s a 100 times increase from any six-week period before COVID-19. Caretakers were even being emergency credentialed to provide care to patients. A YouGov survey found the number of Americans comfortable using telehealth increased by 9% from November 2019 to April 2020.
Research by Arizton reported the US telemedicine market is actually expected to witness over 80% YoY growth in 2020, with an incremental growth of $1.4 billion by 2025. Researchers, investors, and healthcare providers alike are expecting this trend to fully continue thriving.
Quick adaptation in healthcare does not happen, and can not happen, without digitizing the system. Becker’s Hospital Review reported that hospitals “had to invest quickly in scaling up their services, remote monitoring, and remote work capabilities,” with many hospitals planning to continue investing in their telehealth solutions and education after the pandemic.
We’ve talked with our partner, Intermountain, in our podcast and our webinar, about how their abilities to adapt their way of giving care were directly attributed to their ability to use technology. They were able to completely see what skills their caregivers had and where their skills gaps were. By having this clear view, caregivers could be distributed across the organization. They could be utilized in different departments of the hospital, providing care to patients in different ways.
If your organization has already started implementing a digitization plan for telehealth, because of the quick scurry in the COVID-19 world, keep the momentum going. Translate that momentum of the digitization to the training and management of your caretakers. Know their skills so you can rapidly evolve with the healthcare industry, knowing what gaps exist and understanding how to train them to fill in those gaps.
If your organization has not implemented digitization, what’s stopping you? Take a minute to reflect on COVID-19. Were you scrambling to fill caretaker positions, to train for new guidelines and procedures? What about finding caretakers who were flexible and could be moved to different areas within the organization?
Now – think about having one system that truly helps you see everything about your caretakers’ skills, certifications, experiences, and competencies. Think about having the ability to completely scale and mobilize your teams to meet the demands in care.
If you look towards the path of digitization, telehealth is only one piece of the puzzle. In order to truly respond and serve your patient community, your healthcare teams have to be at their very best. They have to be trained efficiently but also given the confidence to know they are competent in their skill sets.
Invest in your healthcare organizations. Invest in your patients’ care. Invest in digitization and competency management, and your organization will be fully prepared to deploy your resources wherever, and whenever, they are needed now and in the future.
For more information on digitizing your healthcare system, get in touch with our team today.
