Healthcare providers to use Video Conferencing to reduce COVID-19 contamination
Healthcare providers that offer virtual care to their patients are already ahead of the game when it comes to managing the challenges faced by most businesses during this worldwide pandemic, Coronavirus.
HotHealth users can conduct remote video conference consultations with patients showing symptoms for COVID-19 therefore screening high-risk clients and avoiding them present to the clinic causing further contamination.
In the UK the NHS has made policy changes to respond to the threat posed by the Coronavirus, in the hope to reduce the risk of infected persons arriving at practices, and further contaminating other patients and the practice staff.
GPs here have long been calling for Coronavirus-specific telehealth item numbers to be added to assist with managing the sudden surge of cases across Australia. To date, telehealth for GPs was generally available only in remote areas, however, to make sure GPs providing telehealth services to coronavirus people are being properly reimbursed, the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) items needed to be updated with immediate effect.
From Friday 13th of March, a new update implemented by the Australian Federal Government will allow doctors, nurses and mental health practitioners to provide telehealth services, such as video conferencing to people isolated at home due to the Coronavirus.
HotHealth is a patient engagement platform which enables healthcare providers to digitally communicate with patients, through video conferences, community engagement tools, online booking, and more, without the need to be physically present.
In the coming weeks, HotHealth is also making updates to provide online forms within the platform, which can be used to further screen patients prior to consultations. These customisable and easy to use forms will increase convenience and patient experience. They can be used for new patient registrations, COVID-19 screening, referrals, consent forms, feedback surveys and more.
COVID-19 is emerging as a global pandemic, and healthcare providers need technology to help determine if patients are high-risk for an in-person appointment, and to easily communicate with them throughout the process.
GPs using HotHealth, and their clients can access the video conferencing function via their computer, tablet or phone. Appointments are set up and scheduled the same as a face-to-face consultation, with an allocated time slot and an active link to join the consultation. Once all parties have joined the video conference, they can see and hear each other through the microphone and camera on their devices.
This software allows the GP to ask and gauge the relevant symptoms such as fever or cough, in a non-contact environment and they can use online forms to find out further details such as whether they have recently travelled to high-risk countries, potentially contracting COVID-19.
To learn more check out the pricing page or contact us to see a preview of the functionality of the HotHealth forms.