Provide Healthcare from Everywhere in the Digital-First Era

Communication technology is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in healthcare. Just a few years ago, the notion of doctors taking consultations outside of the clinic would have raised multiple questions. Yet, that’s exactly what advancements in telehealth are making possible today.

This transformation is permanently lowering the barriers to entry for healthcare and making healthcare services more accessible, safer, and secure for everyone—even for those who live in remote or rural areas. It also creates an opportunity for more flexible lifestyles for healthcare practitioners.

This move to digital healthcare, and more importantly, the ways to make it happen faster and more affordable, were discussed at a recent webinar that 8x8 held with EMR and practice management solution provider, Kalix. If you missed it, read on for a summary of the key takeaways. In a nutshell, it was all about improving patient experiences, as well as hassle-free compliance, security and privacy, and ease of implementation. Thanks to advancements in communication technology, Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard emphasizes the legal implications and considerations necessary for practitioners operating through digital platforms. Their insights can assist healthcare professionals in understanding liabilities associated with telehealth services, providing much-needed guidance parallel to EMR and practice management solutions.

Telehealth and patient experiences

"The expectation of convenience is spilling out from the consumer world into the business world. Customers want to use their preferred channels to access healthcare from where they’re at."  —Matthew Rogers, Solutions Engineer, 8x8

Patient-centric service was a common theme throughout the webinar. In the mobile-first era, everything needs to be compatible with mobile devices, and healthcare is no exception. This not only benefits patients, but also practitioners; they too need to be able to provide their services from anywhere. However, being forced to download yet another app, for example, has been a deal-breaker for many patients. This has been seen as a major inconvenience, not to mention a potential security breach.

Enter video conferencing solutions, such as 8x8’s Jitsi as a Service (JaaS), which has responded to the call for patient-centric healthcare solutions.

JaaS makes video consultations accessible on a wide range of devices, including phones, tablets, and laptops, across all the most commonly used browsers. The best part is that the links to these meetings can be accessed via email or SMS, which reduces the number of clicks required and therefore minimizes the likelihood of patients abandoning the service altogether. It’s all about creating an environment where interactions have minimal friction.

"Telehealth transformation has been driven by both clinicians and patients. It’s not just patients who want digital healthcare from anywhere. Clinicians and practitioners want to provide healthcare from anywhere, too." —Felix Jorkoski, CTO & Co-Founder, Kalix Health

The panel also believes that with a patient-centred approach, patients should be given the option to receive reminders for appointments and follow-ups through their preferred channel of communication. For instance, notifications via SMS or voice message give patients the power to decide how they wish to be contacted.

And it’s not just for general practitioners either. Video conferencing tools are also helping allied health professionals, such as dietitians, speech pathologists, and physiotherapists, to set up shop without a costly business down payment or a monthly burden of rent. New practitioners can start slowly by taking consultations after clocking out from their day jobs, making it possible for more people to join the healthcare workforce.

Telehealth compliance, security, and privacy

Convenience aside, the panel also discussed the validity of patients' privacy and security concerns. Naturally, operating in the highly regulated sector of healthcare is no simple feat. Healthcare providers must abide by various compliance laws, such as HIPAA, and adopt data security measures, such as encryption, to protect patient data. The trouble is, patients often do not see all the behind-the-scenes security efforts in place and are naturally skeptical.

Felix Jorkoski, CTO and Co-Founder of Kalix, highlighted that a secure meeting can be easily represented with a lock symbol, providing patients with the assurance of security even if they do not understand what specific mechanisms are in place.

However, beyond just visual representation, assuring patients that their data is being handled responsibly can also be a major factor in helping them overcome their reservations. 8x8’s Jitsi as a Service (JaaS) conference rooms, for example, completely destroy any trace of interaction once a meeting ends.

Implementing communication APIs

The importance of having tech products and services that are scalable to meet the ebb and flow of operations was another important topic. That’s why many telehealth providers are using communication APIs that help them to develop modular and customized solutions that suit their unique needs and growth cycles. In Kalix’s case, communication APIs allow them to mirror the physical experience that patients are familiar with.

8x8’s Jitsi as a Service is an example of an easy-to-use, plug-and-play video conferencing solution that can get any business started in a matter of minutes. With a user-friendly interface and customizable settings, users can anonymize themselves and configure controls that meeting guests have access to, all without the hassle that comes with general-purpose video conference tools.

What is the future of telehealth?

The webinar panel was unanimous that the future of telehealth is bright. Everyone agreed that telehealth services will only grow from here on out, even as distancing restrictions ease up globally. The reason? Convenience.

According to the CTO of Kalix Health, Felix Jorkoski, telehealth is only getting started:

“Kalix is already providing data driven solutions to help clinicians with their day-to-day tasks, as well as the business aspects of running a clinic. This bodes well for the long-term viability of part-time clinicians and small family clinics, who might not have had the time or resources to optimize their business models and expenses in the past,” said Felix.

8x8 Solution Engineer Matthew Rogers agrees:

“The future of telehealth holds much promise with innovations that may not have even been imagined yet. Already, people are no longer constrained to the limits of video. Practitioners are discovering ways to offer more services across virtual spaces in real-time, such as measuring blood pressure through video and optimal imaging,” said Matthew.

The webinar merely touched the surface of how digital transformation and connected communications have changed the healthcare industry. If you are keen to learn more, especially regarding how you can unlock more with video, voice, and messaging, reach out to us at hello-cpaas@8x8.com.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank healthcare workers for their hard work and commitment to keeping our society safe and healthy during the hard and trying times.

We wish you all the best on your digital healthcare transformation journey.