Elevating the Patient Experience Through Telehealth

In a recent post, this blog space explored just some of the impressive performance and potential emerging through the use of telehealth and other remote care tools.

Transcend’s latest podcast episode delves further into that topic through a conversation with Robin Stawasz, LMSW and program development executive for Acclivity Health Solutions.

The conversation covers multiple facets of how telehealth can improve care and the overall patient/family experience due to capabilities of more comprehensive monitoring and instant communication.

One vital aspect is that telehealth can restore something that often is sorely lacking for seriously ill patients – a sense of control.

With a smart device at their fingertips and a telehealth platform from their care providers, patients can feel the advantages of 24/7 connectivity on their terms.

“It allows the patient themselves the ability to control their environment,” Robin said. “To be able to have more flexibility in the time setting, in who’s present for the (tele)visit, of being in control of how they are attending the meeting and how that meeting is moving forward.”

Robin also noted the important capability to include family members in the conversations. “There is no need to have a teleconference be confined to the clinician and the patient or perhaps a caregiver,” she said. “You can pull in as many people as you need into these conversations. Even if it’s, let’s say, a family member that lives across the country or is themselves limited by their own health and can’t (otherwise) be part of the conversation. And there is something different, being able to engage with someone, eye to eye, seeing their face, watching their smile, watching their reaction.”

The video possibilities of a telehealth platform are only a small part of our conversation with Robin. Take a few moments to hear the entire podcast for ideas on how you can utilize the growing technologies of remote care tools to improve the patient/family experience and elevate home-based care.