Why Telemedicine in Nursing Homes Needs to Change

You might not think about the aging industry and nursing homes as a hotbed of technology, but it’s time to think again. Thanks to the ushering of an unprecedented amount of telehealth due to the global pandemic, such services aren’t just convenient – they are saving lives.

Breaking it down by the numbers – for post-acute nursing home patients that do not see physicians or advanced practice nurses, such patients are more than twice as likely to be readmitted to the hospital or even to die within 30 days. In fact, the median nursing home stay for post-acute care patients never even seeing a physician is 11 days. 10% of patients admitted don’t even see a doctor or advanced practice nurse. It’s time to change this trend.

When you consider that we’re talking about some of the most vulnerable of our population, proactively solving some of these situations through telemedicine is a game changer.

Keep in mind that telemedicine is more than just technology. When integrated with highly skilled physicians, specialists, and behavioral health services, that is the key differentiator to large facilities as well as small or rural facilities alike.
Learn how telemedicine in nursing homes is reshaping the quality of care and life in the visual deep dive below:

Via TapestryHealth.com