COVID-19 has changed the way people do almost everything in their daily lives. While some of those changes have been frustrating to deal with, others are providing important services to those in need easier than ever before. Telemedicine has become the norm during the pandemic, but the benefits expand far beyond slowing the spread of the illness. 

Limiting the Exposure to Illnesses 

Telemedicine was designed to limit patient and staff exposure to covid-19, but other illnesses are being avoided too! Things like the common cold and influenza are very contagious and by staying out of the doctor’s office, you eliminate the risk of spreading those illnesses in those locations. Wherever the risk for illness can be lowered, it should be, and telemedicine has made that increasingly easy to do at healthcare facilities. 

Ensuring You Can Be Seen When You Need to Be 

It’s not at all unusual for healthcare providers to become too busy and overbooked. This gets to a point where patients are waiting longer than they should have to for the care that they need. Telemedicine has allowed healthcare providers to see more patients in a day, so people aren’t waiting as long to get treated and diagnosed. A healthcare provider may be seeing patients in-office and through telemedicine on the same day, allowing them to increase their overall patient load per-day. 

Convenient Care 

Visiting a healthcare provider is notorious for being inconvenient. People are used to calling off work or school just to schedule an appointment, but telemedicine has solved that problem too! Telemedicine allows a patient to have their appointment from anywhere. This means they don’t have to set a whole day aside to go to and from an appointment. You can speak with a healthcare provider from the comfort of your own home before changing out of your pajamas, or in your office in between meetings on a busy day. This makes it easier for patients to get care even if they struggle with transportation availability, such as disabled and elderly patients. 

Telemedicine has transformed healthcare for both the patient and the provider. If you’re in need of non-emergent care, contact an urgent care center near you to schedule a telemedicine appointment today! The urgent care staff will help direct you on the next steps to treating, diagnosing, and managing your condition as needed, rather that’s through the urgent care or through a referred specialist.