The world of telemedicine has grown incredibly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Suddenly the world saw the value of a way to be able to communicate with a real doctor without having to leave the comfort of their own home and risk exposure to the virus. Sadly there is still a huge demographic of people who are not receiving the telehealth they need. Post-acute nursing home patients often aren’t able to communicate with a real doctor or advance practice nurse. It’s time to explore telemedicine in nursing homes.
Sadly, the data shows that those patients who aren’t able to are 2X more likely to have to go back to the hospital within 30 days and many of those die before they even have the chance to return. While a physical doctor or APRN in the Nursing home would help greatly this is not always possible but with Telemedicine, we can be one step closer. The use of this would allow all nursing homes no matter how small or rural to have access to medical care at all times. In fact, 83% of health issues can be treated this way with the use of on-site nursing staff. This change alone could reduce hospitalization to 17% of acute encounters.
The use of telemedicine isn’t just great for convenience but is life-saving as well. Learn more about the use of telemedicine in nursing homes in the infographic below.
