This article about the Benefits of Telehealth is contributed and authored by Rudy Van Ry of Eden Home Health of Bellingham and Mount Vernon.
Healthcare providers, including Eden Home Health, have successfully launched Telehealth services into the forefront to help coordinate virtual visits between patient and doctor.
Recent national health surveys find that concerns for COVID-19 contamination have been keeping patients away from seeing their doctors and other clinical facilities. The burden for avoided or delayed routine medical care has healthcare providers concerned for the negative effects to patient health including worsened long term outcomes. To address these concerns, healthcare providers, including Eden Home Health, have successfully launched Telehealth services into the forefront to help coordinate virtual visits between patient and doctor.
What is Home Health?
Eden Home Health is a full service, Medicare certified company that offers skilled nursing and rehabilitative services at home. Are you recovering from surgery or illness? Or, are you living with a chronic disease like COPD or Diabetes? If so, Eden’s highly skilled medical team of clinicians are able to provide a safe, supportive, and professional clinical environment in the convenience of your home. If you are interested or have any additional questions, contact Eden’s office to see if you qualify.
What is Telehealth, and How is it used in Home Health?
Telehealth uses simple telecommunication technology to connect patients with members of their healthcare team. There are two types of Telehealth services Eden Home Health offers to their patients:
- Coordinating video visits between physician and patient for a qualifying home health referral, and
- Remote daily vital monitoring for those with advanced disease processes.
The benefits of telehealth are reduced exposure risk, provider availability, and the convenience these services provide. These benefits are correlated with telehealth’s growth in popularity among providers and patients.
How can I get a home health referral?
For those in the community who’ve found themselves in the position of needing additional clinical support, a telehealth video visit between physician and patient can be utilized. This is to qualify a patient to receive home health services. Traditionally, Medicare required an in person “face to face visit” with their primary care provider. The goal was to establish that a patient is truly home-bound, and, therefore, justified to be receiving services at their home as opposed to an outpatient setting. However, this requirement has been lifted to include virtual visits through telehealth. Now for the first time in our community, patients can become certified for home health services, or get recertified. All this, without having to leaving their home.
How can I benefit from Home Health and Telehealth?
The importance of preventative care and support cannot be understated. This is especially for those with increased risk for COVID-19 infection. Community healthcare providers are willing and able to navigate available resources for those who qualify. Home health is one of many available resources that can be initiated through telehealth. The program connects patients, primary care providers and home health clinicians together. As a result, the quality of life is collectively improved during these unprecedented times. If you or a family member have health concerns, don’t ignore them. Please reach out to your doctor for their recommendation.
Rudy Van Ry
Community Liaison | Representative |Eden Home Health
Also see Home Health Directories
