{"id":10821,"date":"2016-12-21T17:52:17","date_gmt":"2016-12-21T17:52:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.viamedic.com\/blog\/?p=3201"},"modified":"2016-12-21T17:52:17","modified_gmt":"2016-12-21T17:52:17","slug":"telemedicine-vs-telehealth-whats-the-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/current-health-news\/telemedicine-vs-telehealth-whats-the-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"Telemedicine vs. Telehealth: What’s the Difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Telemedicine\"
Telehealth offers a full spectrum of healthcare services to patients, virtually.<\/figcaption><\/figure> While telemedicine has revolutionized the doctor-patient relationship, telehealth has changed how medicine is distributed to the patient – with a focus on offering a wider variety of care and treatment with ease, speed, convenience.<\/p>\n

What is the difference? These two terms may often be used interchangeably, but telemedicine and telehealth refer to two different facets of healthcare delivery. For example, more and more people are opting to “see” a doctor for common illnesses and prescriptions through telemedicine – a remote consultation using a phone app or online through a personal computer or tablet. <\/p>\n

But it does not have to stop there.<\/p>\n

Telehealth is the evolutionary product of telemedicine that facilitates better remote care because it accounts for a wider array of treatment needs and patient education.<\/p>\n

Telemedicine<\/b> answers to the challenge of convenient access to certain types of medical care that millions of patients struggle with every year. This means an online appointment with your doctor for easily treated conditions.<\/p>\n

Telehealth<\/b> encompasses more – it is the “big picture”, transforming medicine by going beyond basic diagnosis and monitoring, to include all methods of preventive, educational, and curative care delivery. Chronic conditions like diabetes, asthma and COPD can now be monitored and treated virtually – but care also offers educational forums for condition management.<\/p>\n

Telehealth Defined<\/b><\/p>\n

Telehealth is the larger, rapidly growing, evolutionary product of telemedicine that allows for better remote care with more treatment options. It encompasses round-the-clock access to physicians, treatment no matter where the patient is located, and the ability to avoid extended wait times in the ER. For chronic conditions, data from wearables, biometric devices and sensors sent to a central hub so a patient can be monitored remotely.<\/p>\n

As awareness increases about the function of virtual healthcare options, more patients are trusting it as a viable solution. Hospitals (and insurance companies) have shown support, mainly because it reduces hospital stays and cuts costs<\/a>. The average cost of an online consultation is $50, versus an average of $80 for an office visit.<\/p>\n

The Challenges for Telehealth Going Forward<\/b><\/p>\n

According to Forbes, video consultations between primary care physicians and their patients will double by 2020<\/a> – an estimated 5.4 million video appointments will be conducted.<\/p>\n

Other studies estimate<\/a> that there will actually be 27 million telehealth visits by that same year. But, there is one challenge that must be overcome for this growth in adoption to occur. Telehealth must be able to solve some of the challenges presented by virtual doctor appointments.<\/p>\n

Essentially, there are gaps that still exist – requiring in-person interaction in order to complete a telehealth visit.<\/p>\n

Filling the Gaps<\/b><\/p>\n

Some of the challenges and gaps that exist in virtual healthcare fall into the category of diagnostic testing – a vital component to diagnostics. Patients need to be seen in order to facilitate some of these tests, like blood work, for example.<\/p>\n

Physicians rely on lab testing to provide an accurate, fact-based diagnosis and even a wellness plan. So, even though virtual healthcare offers convenience and speed, it doesn’t answer to how lab work, like required urine samples or blood specimens will be collected.<\/p>\n

This why new innovations must create a solution to close the gap between telemedicine and lab testing services that require an in-person visit. Providers can always refer patients for lab work, but labs within the network should be close to the patient.<\/p>\n

In-person patient-doctor visits are clearly valuable and necessary in many circumstances. Telemedicine is best used to supplement these visits.<\/p>\n

Who is Supporting Telehealth Options?<\/b><\/p>\n

Telehealth has been backed by several health plans like Cigna Inc. and most recently, UnitedHealth offered “virtual doctor’s visits” to nearly 1 million health plan members in self-funded plans. This provided patients access to several provider networks including Doctor on Demand<\/a>, Now Clinic and American Well.<\/p>\n

Joe Swedish, CEO Anthem (Health Plan) says, “Mobile telehealth is the most exciting opportunity to advance how the industry administers and consumes care.”<\/i>
\n<\/i>
\nTelemedicine is covered by Medicaid<\/a> in 48 states and half of the states now mandate private insurer reimbursement for telemedicine services. Also, more than 21 states require reimbursement rates to be the same for telemedicine as they are for in-person office visits with a doctor or specialist.<\/p>\n

In a 2015 consumer survey published by Harris Interactive, 64% of people said they were willing to see a doctor via a video appointment and 57% of doctors would see a patient in this same manner. Telehealth offers exactly what doctors and patients are seeking – reduced healthcare costs, without compromising care.<\/p>\n

The Big Picture<\/b><\/p>\n

A report<\/a> by the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), states that 20% to 30% of face-to-face visits can be achieved in alternative, non-face-to-face venues. Telehealth may face a few challenge but it has specific benefits<\/a> to people who use it.<\/p>\n