Chronic disease is a very serious disease that needs on-time care. Otherwise, it will cause serious health risks. For proper care, you have to be admitted to the hospital where doctors and medical staff can take care of you, which will be expensive. It includes hospital charges, medicine expenses, traveling expenses, etc. But, you can avoid these expenses with proper care from your loved ones at home by telehealth.

Healthcare facilities and organizations are looking for more effective ways to safely manage patients’ chronic conditions. Here, telehealth is essential since it allows medical professionals to give patients chronic care management services remotely using cutting-edge technology. As a result, there is a decrease in in-person visits.

This blog will discuss how telehealth monitoring helps manage chronic care.

Telehealth’s Essential Function in the Management of Chronic Care

In the COVID-19 pandemic, only the public was not infected; the people who provided medicare were also infected. According to a report of march 2021, over  1.9 million Medicare beneficiaries were infected with covid in the USA. Many Medicare participants live with chronic ailments due to the high burden of chronic diseases.

These people, in particular, had a greater risk of contracting the new coronavirus due to the pandemic, disrupting their access to essential medical services.

Rural areas currently house a sizable population that needs access to healthcare. Given the current circumstances, it has become challenging for them to travel the distance necessary to get to their appointment and visit their vital healthcare professionals, particularly those suffering from chronic illnesses.

Patients and Medicare users now have the power to speak online with their clinicians, thanks to telehealth’s crucial role in chronic care management. As a result, the accessibility to healthcare from the comfort of home is increased by cutting down on travel time to see healthcare specialists and providers.

The previous few years, particularly during the pandemic, have seen a vast change in the healthcare environment due to telehealth. To continue delivering higher-quality treatment, providers and medical professionals acted quickly to integrate telehealth technologies into their current systems. The impact of telehealth’s knock-on effects has improved patient interaction in several ways, including consistency, comfort, involvement, access, and more. In 2021, improved access to care will result from the transformation of telehealth technology tools by chronic care management software.

The Essentials of Telehealth Chronic Care Management for Better Access to Care

We have said above that telehealth is responsible for development in the healthcare sector. Let’s see some critical factors of telehealth chronic care management. The followings are some essentials of telehealth chronic care management-

1. Patient monitoring is more accessible thanks to telehealth

Telehealth monitoring services offer a wide range of support, including various cognitive and behavioral therapies, medication, and helping people with chronic diseases make lifestyle adjustments for quick recovery. For the management of chronic diseases, healthcare practitioners can now offer remote patient monitoring. They can monitor their progress through telehealth and alter their policies as necessary.

2. Telemedicine for the management of chronic diseases tracking any new persistent symptoms

Patients with chronic illnesses are subjected to emerging new symptoms. It could indicate the onset of a new chronic condition or the deterioration of their current one. Without needing to schedule an in-person session, individuals suffering from these new symptoms can quickly connect with their doctors using telehealth technological tools and be guided through the change in therapy and suggestions. Telehealth thereby ensures faster and higher-quality care delivery.

3. Reducing readmissions to the hospital by improving in-home care

It is regarded as the most expensive method of accessing healthcare because individuals with chronic conditions have an 81% hospital admission rate. Healthcare workers can quickly monitor the patient’s condition and need thanks to telehealth chronic care management software. Eventually, lowering the risk of hospital readmission, improving the reception of in-home treatment, and lowering costs for both the provider and the patient.

Telehealth Supported Chronic Care Management for Medicare

According to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more prone to catch the COVID-19 virus in patients who have certain chronic diseases, such as obesity, chronic kidney disease, chronic lung disease, or type 2 diabetes. Medicare beneficiaries are more likely to be familiar with chronic illnesses, and COVID-19 disproportionately negatively impacts people with chronic problems.

According to CMS, Medicare care management is one of the essential elements of primary care telemedicine services. The number of Medicare beneficiaries is anticipated to increase dramatically over the next few years due to the expansion of Medicare chronic care management. With telehealth technologies, medical offices and practitioners are converting to CCM programs to improve patient outcomes and increase revenue.

Telehealth Methods in Programs for Chronic Care Management

The unique methods make telehealth a significant game-changer for chronic care management programs. These methods enable communication between healthcare professionals and patients using telehealth technological solutions to provide high-quality care services.

The followings are some methods of telehealth for chronic care management-

1. Asynchronous Mode

Asynchronous mode encompasses forward and storage systems that aggregate words, pictures, or medical data at a specific moment. Replied and interpreted later. Patients can usually communicate with their clinicians through patient portals using secure messaging.

2. Synchronous Mode

The synchronous mode uses real-time audio-visual interactions and conversations with patients over the phone or live streaming on devices like computers, tablets, and other mobile devices. Healthcare professionals may occasionally employ ancillary medical devices, including otoscopes, ultrasound machines, digital Stethoscopes, and more. The provider can use these on the patients, and a consulting medical expert remotely evaluates the data.

3. Remote patient monitoring

This telehealth technology allows for secure, direct patient clinical data transmission. Healthcare providers can readily offer the required answers to the issues, and it does not need to be in real-time.

Possible Applications of Telehealth in the Management of Chronic Disease

The followings are some potential Uses of telehealth in the management of chronic disease-

•     Patients who exhibit symptoms of the coronavirus are screened and appropriately referred to telemedicine services.
•     Access to urgent care with lower risk is provided for COVID-negative patients, and those who require further medical evaluation or consultation are identified.
•     Providing guidance and instruction to patients with chronic diseases through weight-management strategies and nutritional advice.
•     Primary care telemedicine specialists and providers have access to behavioral and mental health services, managing chronic conditions, and managing prescriptions and medications.
•     Proper patient follow-ups after their hospital stay.
•     Giving inhabitants of long-term care facilities access to non-emergency care.
•     Expert medical consultation tactics in geographically remote places, it enables training and educational value for healthcare providers.

Conclusion 

In this blog, we have discussed how telehealth monitoring help in chronic care management. We have mentioned telehealth use in chronic care management. We hope that the blog will be helpful for you.