Technology rules the roost – wherever you go, you see someone on their smartphone or tablet. Aside from personal use, many companies have shifted towards a more digital approach to business, and one industry that is fast adapting to modern technology is medicine. In this article, we look at how medical practices are adapting to modern technology, so read on to find out more.
Online Appointment Booking
Have you booked an appointment with your GP or any other medical professional recently? Chances are you hopped on to their website and chose a day and time slot of your preference, all without having to pick up the phone and speak to anyone. Scheduling software is at the forefront of most medical practices these days, due to the ease of appointment booking and efficiency of allowing patients to book and or cancel appointments at their own leisure. Scheduling software reduces the amount of time practice staff have to spend on the phone with customers, allowing them to focus on other things such as offering a higher quality of patient care in the practice itself. Many scheduling software options allow patients to choose a specific doctor of their preference as well, thus greatly improving patient experience at your practice.
2. Automation of Tasks
Many practices are now looking towards technology to assist in the automation of daily tasks. Instead of having your staff spend time on mundane things, practices can utilise technology to get all the daily nitty-gritty out of the way. Some of the tasks that can be automated include monitoring practice performance, organisation of patient records, business management reports and collation of test results. The ability to automate these tasks saves an immense amount of time with regards to human labour, thus allowing your practice to perform more efficiently, and with more care and attention given to each individual patient that visits.
3. Telemedicine
Telemedicine is fast gaining popularity due to the level of convenience it offers patients who may live in remote areas or who have trouble making regular trips to the doctor. Thanks to technology, patients can now converse with their doctors via on-demand video calls and consultations. Doctors can even pull data from external sources via electronic health records during these video calls, ensuring that everyone is kept in the loop with regards to patient history.
Patients who suffer from chronic diseases can also utilise technology via digital health apps for daily measurements of vital signs which will then instantly be sent to the medical practice. This way, doctors can keep track of patient vitals and then decide if it is worth the patient travelling in for a face to face appointment or checkup.
4. Reaching Patients Via Social Media
Social media is a huge part of everyone’s lives in 2019, and practices are now utilising platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to reach more patients than they were able to ever before. Many healthcare facilities are using the internet to establish contact with potential patients, launch public awareness campaigns and advertise their services to a wider population. Some practice websites even offer a live chat to patients where they can discuss any questions they may have with nurses and doctors in real time. Thanks to technology, not only are practices benefiting, so are patients all over the world!
5. Maintaining Records
Last but not least, modern technology has made it easier than ever for medical practices to access electronic health records and patient history for a seamless flow of information from practice to practice. Should a new patient book an appointment in, doctors needn’t worry that they don’t have all the information they require about a patient’s medical history. EHRs are a digital version of a patient’s chart and are accessible in real time and constantly being updated after each visit, test result or last ailment. EHRs also store data such as drug allergies, treatment plans, diagnoses and medications that patients have taken in the past. Practices equipped with practice management software healthcare can offer a better level of service and healthcare to patients when armed with all this information.
We hope that this article has given you some insight into just how medical practices are adapting to modern technology and greatly benefiting from it.
This is an article provided by our partners network. It might not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of our editorial team and management.
Contributed content
Founder Dinis Guarda
IntelligentHQ Your New Business Network.
IntelligentHQ is a Business network and an expert source for finance, capital markets and intelligence for thousands of global business professionals, startups, and companies.
We exist at the point of intersection between technology, social media, finance and innovation.
IntelligentHQ leverages innovation and scale of social digital technology, analytics, news and distribution to create an unparalleled, full digital medium and social business network spectrum.
IntelligentHQ is working hard, to become a trusted, and indispensable source of business news and analytics, within financial services and its associated supply chains and ecosystems.
