3 ways telemedicine can ensure a healthy and safe workforce

Adoption of digital technologies surged during the pandemic, eliminating the need to go in person to see a health care provider and risk exposure to COVID-19. A recent study by FAIR Health found a 4,347% increase in telehealth claims to private insurers from 2019 to 2020. But many barriers to quality care linger post-Covid, including financial concerns, geographic limitations, lack of health care professionals in rural areas, social isolation, and needing to take time off from work.

As companies around the world think about safe return to work strategies, accessible telemedicine solutions can help businesses manage a sustainable and longstanding health plan, while helping to prevent employees from neglecting routine and vital health care.

Related: Telemedicine is here to stay–and not just for the doctors

Telemedicine continues to grow in popularity among the business sector. Global Market Insights studied trends in the telemedicine industry and found the market size is projected to grow 19.3%, reaching $175 billion by 2026.

Here are three reasons why companies should strongly consider adding telemedicine to their benefits offerings—even for employees who don’t have an insurance plan—to ensure a healthy and safe workforce.

1. Greater convenience

Concerns about new, more contagious strains of COVID-19 continue to deter people from seeking medical care. A study by National Public Radio, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health shows that those who do seek out medical care have a difficult time receiving it due to dwindling provider availability and a growing patient population.

Many telemedicine solutions provide 24/7 access to health care on one seamless platform, which gives employees greater access to the support they need, when and where they need it. These virtual consultations offer flexible, real-time health advice without the need to schedule and plan to take time off for in-person visits. Telemedicine readily addresses acute health concerns like head colds, pre-screens for urgent needs, including patients who might have symptoms of COVID-19 and increases access to mental health professionals.

2. Fewer unnecessary expenses

U.S. health care spending reached $3.8 trillion in 2019, which works itself out to about $11,500 per person. In 1960, health care spending totaled $27.2 billion, or $147 per person. The Office of the Actuary in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services projects national health care expenditures will grow 5.4% annually, reaching $6.2 trillion in 2028, or roughly $18,755 per person.

This sustained surge in health care costs discourages people from seeking routine and vital health care, driving up the cost of emergency care. With a proactive approach to health care, businesses can help reduce overall visits to the hospital and minimize the cost of emergency visits by 20%. This also reduces claims and risks for workplace injury, helping to further lower insurance costs. Telemedicine offers a low-cost solution to increase access to primary care and offset some of these expenses, without compromising quality of care.

3. Better care results

Telemedicine supports value-based care through a high-touch approach. Patients are encouraged to be more involved in every step of their health care and can more easily engage with their clinical team. Virtual care also allows patients and providers to more easily maintain a relationship, transforming the health care model from a fee-to-service-based model to one that supports continuous and preventative care catch diseases early on.

When patients are given control of their well-being and work hand-in-hand with their clinical team, they will often see better health outcomes. Telemedicine is proven to reduce patient readmission to the hospital for various medical conditions, including patients with heart failure.

Affordable health care plagues most employees, and when their physical and mental health declines, so does their productivity and morale. Companies can address these stressors and work to better retain employees by broadening their health care options. Telemedicine is here to stay, and companies that offer comprehensive health benefits as part of their long-term health strategy will strengthen their workforce and stay ahead of the competition.

Dr. Swaraj Singh is founder and chief innovation officer of Akos.

Read more: 

• Amid coronavirus outbreak, telemedicine provides vital link to care and prevention
• Why more employees are embracing telemedicine
• Telehealth growth comes with concerns about fraud, patient safety