The COVID-19 pandemic exposed not only a deadly virus. It also exposed a series of problems that we’ve been dealing with but not solving properly. One of such worldwide issues is our healthcare system.
It can be hard to fathom, but 54 million of us have reportedly faced the coronavirus. Some of us have won the fight and have fully recovered or on our way to recovery. But some of us lost that fight and passed away. But the number of the infected and the deaths could’ve been much higher if we had a better healthcare system. We need a system that can respond to people in need as quickly as possible. We also need it to be accessible to all people.
One of the ways to improve our healthcare system is by developing the telehealth industry. If you’re an individual looking to invest in something useful, meaningful, and impactful, then telehealth might be perfect for you.
Understanding the Need
We’ve all experienced the coronavirus in varying degrees. It depends on where you live. Cities with a higher population were hit more badly than other places in the world. In the United States, New York City, the center of business and culture, has the highest death toll, which reaches over 24 thousand as of November 2020. The bustling city is making a slow recovery. But the citizens are still haunted by the sound of ambulances navigating the once-very busy streets.
However, cities aren’t the only ones struggling. The coronavirus also challenges rural areas across the country. Reports show that some small-town hospitals are treating more patients than they can handle. They don’t have enough beds, equipment, and health workers.
What we need is a better healthcare system that can reach more people. We must detect the coronavirus very early on so that we can get ourselves treated and make a speedy recovery.
Improving the Healthcare System
The most obvious solution to having a better healthcare system has more resources. Hospitals need more space, equipment, and human resources to reach more people in need. But that’s not the only solution. One way is turning to Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) and Community Paramedicine (CP).
At its core, MIH and CP are geared towards improving the out-of-hospital care that people need. They’re all about improving our response and making the most of the resources we can reach even if we haven’t reached the hospital yet. One of the key services in MIH and CP is providing telephone or online advice to patients. This saves them the effort of going to hospitals and waiting in line for a consultation.
One of the key goals of MIH and CP is to promote community health and working together. To know more about this, you can read Mobile Integrated Healthcare: Approach to Implementation, published by Jones & Bartlett Learning. Knowing more about MIH and CP will help you understand more about this service’s value to patients in your community. This is beneficial for you if you’re looking into starting a business in the telehealth industry.
Investing in the Telehealth Industry
But, first, what is telehealth? It’s where technology meets healthcare. Through it, patients can access information about their health. And they can get help as quickly as they need through digital and communication technologies. With just a text, email, and call, they can already reach a doctor they need and have virtual appointments.
With the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC) urging us to practice social distancing and stay at home as much as possible, telehealth services are a savior for us. But it’s also quite useful to healthcare facilities that have little resources and human resources. The CDC reported that some places worldwide consult with doctors and other experts through digital technology to help their patients.
With the growing need for telehealth services, the industry has grown massively in the last few months. It’s worth $3.2 billion. And experts predict that it will continue growing by 8.3 percent each year in the next five years.
The people’s needs are changing. In 2019, only 11 percent of the survey responders used telehealth. But, in 2020, the rate rose to 76 percent. Healthcare providers have also reported their growing preference for telehealth services. Fifty-seven percent of them said so.
We need more avenues to reach healthcare professionals so that all of us could have the medicine and treatment that we need. Many experts have found the potential to invest in the telehealth industry. So if you’re looking to start a business in the middle of a pandemic, then going into the telehealth industry can be the best option for you.
