Recent Advances in U.S Telemedicine Are Keys to Healthcare’s Pandemic Fight
Telemedicine a Foundation in Fighting Coronavirus
Atlanta, GA, April 08, 2020 --(PR.com)-- www.KaZee.us - Armed with the finest medical practitioners boasting the latest curative and technological advances, the U.S. possesses the world’s most efficient healthcare system in the fight against the coronavirus.
That wasn’t always the case. “Just under 15 years ago the U.S. medical system was slowed by an antiquated paper records procedure that acted like an anchor on patient care,” recalls Albert Woodard, CEO of Atlanta-based KaZee, a company that helped build the world’s largest telemedicine system and has been devoted to providing telemedicine systems since 2002.
Woodard says the marriage between computers and healthcare was consummated in 2008 as information technology moved from the billing departments and other back office functions into the examining room with the 2008 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. “It forced the healthcare industry to begin the transition from paper to information technology that has proven so crucial during this virus pandemic,” he says.
The U.S. healthcare system got another wake up call 10 years ago when some 80 million aging baby boomers began landing on Medicare roles at a rate of 7,000 a day and the federal government’s Affordable Care Act flooded the system with 32 million more patients. “The system was clogged with paper records that made it difficult to coordinate care, routinely measure quality, or reduce medical errors thus encouraging technological innovation,” says Woodard.
Today telemedicine has become one of the most vital tools in caring for patients while keeping medical staffs safe as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve.
As the number of cases of confirmed COVID-19 skyrockets in the United States, family physicians are consumed with trying to best care for their patients while at the same time protecting themselves and their staff. “That's why telemedicine has become such a useful tool for providing care for these patients,” says Woodard.
The American Academy of Family Physicians recently updated its guidance on using telemedicine to specifically address caring for patients during the pandemic.
Tips included in that guidance address how to quickly implement telemedicine in a practice, how to get reimbursed for virtual visits and what codes to use for COVID-19. Additionally, there is specific guidance on Medicare payment requirements for these telemedicine sessions.
During the current crisis stressing isolation physicians can take laptops, iPads and smart phones from room to room or building to building. On-call staff can log in from anywhere - home, office, hospitals, or elsewhere - via a secure virtual private network to access patient information. The tools exist now to give every provider and patient access to all information necessary to prevent errors, improve patient satisfaction and improve outcomes.
“Using telemedicine during this crisis enables doctors to see patients’ records from their homes or elsewhere any time of the day, providing immediate access for hundreds of patients a month, who would otherwise wait for weeks to be seen by their primary-care doctor. Telemedicine tools are becoming the foundation of the system because they enable primary care physicians to share information, and better coordinate the delivery of care,” says Woodard.
“I’ve seen firsthand throughout the U.S – from non-profit clinics and large hospitals to doctor’s offices and correctional healthcare systems – how telemedicine can help reduce errors, provide better access to health information, improve care coordination, save lives and alleviate a shortage of qualified of healthcare professionals that is so important with the current crisis,” he adds.
About KaZee, Inc.
KaZee, Inc., is a leading provider of high-quality information technology (IT) products and services to the healthcare industry. Within the healthcare industry, KaZee serves ambulatory and outpatient clinics, multispecialty physician practices, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), county health departments, and currently focuses on correctional health facilities such as state, county, and local jails, prisons, and youth detention centers. KaZee supports customers within 40 states across the country. For more information about KaZee, go to www.KaZee.us.
That wasn’t always the case. “Just under 15 years ago the U.S. medical system was slowed by an antiquated paper records procedure that acted like an anchor on patient care,” recalls Albert Woodard, CEO of Atlanta-based KaZee, a company that helped build the world’s largest telemedicine system and has been devoted to providing telemedicine systems since 2002.
Woodard says the marriage between computers and healthcare was consummated in 2008 as information technology moved from the billing departments and other back office functions into the examining room with the 2008 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. “It forced the healthcare industry to begin the transition from paper to information technology that has proven so crucial during this virus pandemic,” he says.
The U.S. healthcare system got another wake up call 10 years ago when some 80 million aging baby boomers began landing on Medicare roles at a rate of 7,000 a day and the federal government’s Affordable Care Act flooded the system with 32 million more patients. “The system was clogged with paper records that made it difficult to coordinate care, routinely measure quality, or reduce medical errors thus encouraging technological innovation,” says Woodard.
Today telemedicine has become one of the most vital tools in caring for patients while keeping medical staffs safe as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve.
As the number of cases of confirmed COVID-19 skyrockets in the United States, family physicians are consumed with trying to best care for their patients while at the same time protecting themselves and their staff. “That's why telemedicine has become such a useful tool for providing care for these patients,” says Woodard.
The American Academy of Family Physicians recently updated its guidance on using telemedicine to specifically address caring for patients during the pandemic.
Tips included in that guidance address how to quickly implement telemedicine in a practice, how to get reimbursed for virtual visits and what codes to use for COVID-19. Additionally, there is specific guidance on Medicare payment requirements for these telemedicine sessions.
During the current crisis stressing isolation physicians can take laptops, iPads and smart phones from room to room or building to building. On-call staff can log in from anywhere - home, office, hospitals, or elsewhere - via a secure virtual private network to access patient information. The tools exist now to give every provider and patient access to all information necessary to prevent errors, improve patient satisfaction and improve outcomes.
“Using telemedicine during this crisis enables doctors to see patients’ records from their homes or elsewhere any time of the day, providing immediate access for hundreds of patients a month, who would otherwise wait for weeks to be seen by their primary-care doctor. Telemedicine tools are becoming the foundation of the system because they enable primary care physicians to share information, and better coordinate the delivery of care,” says Woodard.
“I’ve seen firsthand throughout the U.S – from non-profit clinics and large hospitals to doctor’s offices and correctional healthcare systems – how telemedicine can help reduce errors, provide better access to health information, improve care coordination, save lives and alleviate a shortage of qualified of healthcare professionals that is so important with the current crisis,” he adds.
About KaZee, Inc.
KaZee, Inc., is a leading provider of high-quality information technology (IT) products and services to the healthcare industry. Within the healthcare industry, KaZee serves ambulatory and outpatient clinics, multispecialty physician practices, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), county health departments, and currently focuses on correctional health facilities such as state, county, and local jails, prisons, and youth detention centers. KaZee supports customers within 40 states across the country. For more information about KaZee, go to www.KaZee.us.
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KaZee Inc.
Dave Scott
770-354-7228
www.Kazee.us
Dave Scott
770-354-7228
www.Kazee.us
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