How Can Your Healthcare Business Successfully Implement Telehealth Services?

The adoption of telehealth services has gone from strength to strength since the global pandemic. A huge reason is the model benefits both patients and health care providers.

It makes care widely accessible for people who need it  — even in urban areas — in a more cost-effective way. The extra billable hours and reduced no-show rates can also help health care organizations sustain their operations.

However, the switch to telehealth comes with challenges that must be addressed. Learn about what organizations can do to achieve success in implementing telehealth services.

Key Considerations Before Implementing Telehealth

Businesses must review several operational aspects to confirm whether they can efficiently serve patients through telehealth.

1. Assess the Readiness

From digital migration to introducing the clinic and funneling the right target audience, they need to gauge how equipped they are to adopt the change. It’s important as it affects patient outcomes. A delay in attending to the patients can impact business success. Doing a simulation can help evaluate whether the business is ready for action.

2. Comply With Legal Requirements

They must also adhere to the local policies to avoid problems. Before operating, they must understand the necessary business requirements, including what licenses to secure. If they want to accept insurance, they must check if their state has a service parity law covering telemedicine since some states have it while others don’t.

The list of requirements can be overwhelming, so it’s best to consult an attorney to cover all the legal elements of the business setup.

A reputable lawyer, such as Wachler & Associates PC, will be able to help you with all the legal elements of a business and have your back if an issue arises. Seeking support can help you ensure your business set-up is compliant, and you stay informed about changing regulations. This way, you can reduce the risk of compliance issues and avoid costly mistakes when growing your business and implementing new technology like telehealth.

3. Ensure Privacy and Security of Patient Data

Since they’ll be handling patient health information, securing the data should be a top priority. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a law health care entities that store and share sensitive data online must follow to prevent cybersecurity crimes. The HHS regulates the law and penalizes clinics that compromise confidential information.

On top of HIPAA compliance, many telehealth organizations also get accreditation. Accredited businesses are credible because they go through stringent requirements to pass specific standards and get a vote of confidence from the accreditation organization. Since their security and safety technology measures are validated, they can guarantee that patient data is kept private and secure.

4. Evaluate Technological Infrastructure

Investing in technological infrastructure is also necessary to further reinforce security around electronic medical records. Electronic patient management software built with sophisticated encryptions can significantly streamline data storage, monitoring and sharing.

Establish a Telehealth Program

The next step is to build a telehealth program. They must have a business and marketing plan to pattern real-time operations.

1. Set Clear Goals and Objectives

What do offices hope to achieve by setting up a virtual clinic? Some do it to provide patients with borderless access to care services, while others do it to increase revenue and create a sustainable business model. By ranking their goals, they can clearly understand their objectives and use them as a guide moving forward.

2. Identify Target Patient Populations

Telehealth companies succeed because they have a specific target patient to offer their services to and know their needs well. They also stick to what they specialize in and do best. For instance, a psychologist with years of experience in treating anxiety and depression is more effective for patients suffering from these two conditions than those with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.

3. Develop an Implementation Plan

There should be a specific response to every patient action. For example, if the patient contacts to inquire about billing, the staff must know what and where to find this information. If they request to change the consultation schedule, the staff must know the provider’s next availability.

4. Obtain Necessary Staff Education

The HIPAA mandates health care staff to undergo training and adequate education to ensure they have up-to-date information to protect patient data and execute the best security practices all the time. The HHS provides tools and resources for employees to increase their compliance with the HIPAA law. It’s the organization’s responsibility to follow through with their staff’s training.

Overcome Barriers to Telehealth Adoption

Telehealth services have overwhelming challenges that need to be addressed. Patients will benefit if they can resolve these promptly.

1. Address Patient Acceptance

Not everyone is receptive and ready to receive care online. Using technology is also a barrier since others can find navigating it tricky. A survey says 27% of respondents claimed to perceive telemedicine negatively. Only after experiencing it would 90% recommend it to someone else. It implies businesses must go the extra mile in accommodating every patient since their initial experience can determine whether they’d book their second or succeeding consultations online.

2. Reimbursement Challenges

Delays in reimbursements, denials and declining cash reserves financially strain health care companies, affecting their operations. It’s an existing and growing problem that requires prompt resolutions as most depend on these receivables to cover operational expenses in the future.

However, data revealed the cash reserves of the hospitals and health systems — measured as days cash on hand or the number of days these organizations can pay their operating expenses using available cash reserves — dropped 28%, from 173 days in January 2022 to only 124 days in June 2023.

Businesses must be well-prepared to encounter cash flow problems in the future. In some cases, an asset-based loan can temporarily remedy financial pressures, but they must have a strategy in place if the situation worsens.

3. Deal with Technological Limitations

Connectivity issues can happen during online consultations, ruining patient experience. Telehealth businesses must have backup solutions when this happens.

Offering multi-channel communication is one strategy. If video conferencing doesn’t work, the option to switch to landline calls, chat or email must be available. In addition to the potential of telehealth possibilities, most patients also understand technology’s limitations — giving them alternatives is the least businesses can do to maintain a positive experience.

4. Ensure Equitable Access to Telehealth Services

Many people don’t have access to a stable internet connection or smartphone, but it doesn’t mean they can’t receive telehealth. Organizations can provide options to make care available. One example is using landline communication instead of video chat for locations with unstable networks. Those with built-in privacy and security in telehealth platforms can share free internet hotspots with patients before virtual consultation. This way, more people can access care.

Strategize Around Telehealth Offers

It takes effective planning, strategy and execution to achieve a successful telehealth model. Organizations implementing virtual care services for the first time must follow state laws and legal requirements to prevent future issues. They can hire an attorney to hasten the initial process. Finally, they must develop a telehealth program and carry out the best strategies to adopt technology in the most seamless and efficient way.