Healthcare documentation or medical transcription is a critical healthcare service that eases the work of physicians and other healthcare workers and at the same time, helps in accumulating data that can be utilized for studying the most pressing concerns of the healthcare industry and identifying solutions to address those concerns. Medical transcriptionists work and prepare reports that form the basis of medical coding and billing processes and are further useful in updating the electronic health records of patients.
As a part of providing healthcare, doctors and facilities are turning towards telehealth and remote patient monitoring. Telehealth and remote patient monitoring are relatively new terms that have evolved in recent years, thanks to the ever-growing information technology and its use in various industries. Healthcare documentation specialists must understand what these terms mean and how they are contributing to people’s health.
Telehealth: This is a broad category that refers to the total industry, methodology and various technologies that facilitate providing health care to patients in the comfort of their homes. Telehealth makes optimal use of technology through telephones, video conferences using the internet and may include the use of IVR systems as well. In other words, telehealth involves a wide spectrum of services including medical care by a physician, provider and patient education, health information services, and receiving instructions for self-care through the telephone and internet technologies. A few examples of telehealth include video conferencing, health apps on mobile phones, electronic storing and transmission of health data, remote patient monitoring, etc. This makes it clear, that telehealth encapsulates a broader range of activities and services rather than mere administering healthcare to geographically remote patients that is termed as telemedicine. Healthcare documentation professionals should be able to understand these various terms to better understand their work and avoid the scope of ambiguity if at all they come across these terms as a part of their work.
Remote Patient Monitoring: Also referred to as remote patient management, this is a part of telehealth where it is done using the latest and advanced information technology systems to collect patient data from the patient’s location outside of a traditional healthcare setting. It uses technologies to bridge the gap between a traditional healthcare setting and the place people actually live. This is possible with the help of sleek, consumer-friendly personal technology products that resemble smartphones and tablets. Such technology systems not only increase the comfort level of patients but also increase their engagement levels, thereby helping to improve the quality of health care.
With the help of remote patient monitoring models, doctors and other healthcare professionals are better equipped to comprehend and manage their patients’ health with sufficient and relevant data handy. The remote patient management models facilitate the physicians to understand their patients’ condition early and take the timely and appropriate course of action that can eliminate the risk of deterioration of the condition while the evaluation of the problem.
Professionals in the healthcare industry, especially the healthcare documentation companies, must know that although both the terms telehealth and remote patient monitoring are used interchangeably, they are not the same. What is important for healthcare documentation specialists is that they should ensure to make a correct entry in their medical transcription reports. Hiring the right healthcare documentation companies is the key to creating the right reports to provide accurate health care.