COVID-19 is a challenge for both medical providers and patients. People don’t want to catch or spread the disease, but they still need care during these uncertain times. That’s why medical providers are adding telemedicine to their practice — and it’s only the beginning of what will turn out to be a dramatic shift in the way that medical providers and their patients interact.
Everyone deserves excellent care, no matter the circumstances. Telemedicine is no longer a ‘nice-to-have,’ as Klara co-founder and co-CEO Simon Bolz told the International Business Times. It’s a necessity for all medical providers and patients, and practices need to choose the right solution that allows for efficient, secure communication.
Klara’s holistic approach to telemedicine and effective patient communication is assisting 5,000+ medical providers who understand telemedicine as an integral part of healthcare today, amid a global pandemic, and into the future.
Telemedicine is exploding right now, and it’s here to stay
Telemedicine and its capabilities are taking off throughout the United States as medical providers turn to virtual care platforms like Klara during the era of social distancing. Nearly 50% of all physicians are now treating patients through virtual visits and other forms of telemedicine, according to Merritt Hawkins. It’s a significant increase over the 18% adoption rate counted in 2018.
That’s in large part because most patients are comfortable discussing their health with physicians online. Even before the COVID-19 crisis, a survey showed that two-thirds of patients are open to accessing care through telemedicine. During the COVID-19 crisis, providers are in a better position to offer their patients this convenience due to the regulations lifted by federal and state governments, as well as barriers removed by private payers.
Physician Dr. Ryan Buffington revealed that his family medicine and psychiatric care practice has experienced a significant increase in the number of virtual visits during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. Since telemedicine rolled out in force due to the pandemic, Dr. Buffington’s group practice in Keller, Texas, went from zero virtual visits a day to 40 virtual visits a day. Many medical providers are seeing similar growth.
With federal and state regulations lifted, there’s a clear path for telemedicine to solidify its status. Americans are set to discover telemedicine and realize the value. It’s only a matter of time before patients start asking for a virtual visit outright rather than waiting for an in-person appointment.
Not all telemedicine platforms are created equal, though. They’re often just point solutions that provide video visits alone. Using a holistic approach, Klara integrates all elements of a medical provider’s communication into a single platform.
Klara is prepared for today and tomorrow
Klara is an all-in-one, centralized platform that streamlines internal and external communications by becoming a virtual extension of your brick-and-mortar practice.
Why Klara is the telemedicine solution that providers trust for the long-term:
- Real-Time Video Visits: Allow providers to initiate high-quality video calls with patients to deliver care remotely. No app download or login necessary for patients. It’s quick and easy to get your practice started because Klara fits seamlessly into existing workflows around an appointment – scheduling, insurance verification, care instructions, collecting consent, and more.
- Secure Messaging: End-to-end encryption protects personal information and healthcare data, keeping a practice HIPAA-compliant at all times.
- Team Collaboration: Collaborate as a medical team, wherever you are. Powerful workflow management tools ensure patient requests get to the right place at the right time. Physicians and administrative staff can easily monitor a patient’s file and communicate through internal notes, assignment logic, and team-wide inboxes.
- Automatic Outreach: Send relevant messages such as pre-visit instructions and post-visit follow-up notifications without the repetitive work. Minimize administrative burden and ensure a successful journey for every patient, every time.
With an 85% patient adoption rate across thousands of practices, Klara knows what’s necessary to help providers give patients an excellent experience throughout the coronavirus outbreak and beyond. Klara is a long-term solution, navigating practices amid a pandemic and staying by their side in the future as telemedicine establishes itself as a new, trusted standard in healthcare.
