Depending on where you get your news, you might have been hearing a lot lately about telemedicine. What does it mean? There’s a lot to it, but the basic idea is that you get health care remotely, using technology to connect with health care providers and services from wherever you are. As it turns out, this new way of delivering health care services has several exciting benefits.
Get Help When There Isn’t Any Near You
Probably the best advantage of telemedicine is that you can get help at home even if there’s no help in your community. Maybe you live in a remote location, far from any medical services.
Or, maybe you live in a place where there are lots of people but not a counselor or psychiatrist anywhere near you. That’s not at all uncommon. In fact, overall in the US, 51 percent of the counties didn’t have a psychiatrist and 37 percent didn’t have a psychologist.
The good news is that you can get help from doctors, nurses, and mental health providers from around the world wherever you are thanks to telemedicine. One of the leading telehealth providers for counseling is www.betterhelp.com.
Eliminate Travel Hassles
For every appointment you have with a provider through telemedicine, that’s one round trip you have to make to get the care you need. That means no sitting in gridlock traffic, no gasoline costs, and no long drive. It reduces stress, saves money, and makes your life a whole lot easier.
Save Money
The Veteran’s Health Administration reported that telemedicine saved veterans who used it an average of $1,999 each on travel-related expenses in 2015. Saving money by telemedicine includes more than just gas costs. Those same vets spent fewer days in the hospital, too, saving daily hospital costs for both patients and hospitals.
Avoid Disrupting Your Life
You have a life to live. Maybe you have a job, and you can’t or don’t want to take a day off to get healthcare. Perhaps you’re a caregiver for an elderly relative or your young children, and there’s no one else to take on that role.
Whatever keeps you busy, you probably don’t want to try to fit a medical appointment into your day. If you have a chronic condition, continuous doctor visits can seriously disrupt your life. With telemedicine, you can manage your health as efficiently as possible, without even leaving your home.
Ease the Stress
Face-to-face medical care certainly has its place. Yet, whenever home telemedicine services can replace them, it provides a more relaxed way to receive care. All the benefits listed above combine to reduce the stress of going out to get medical care at an office or clinic. You still might worry about what your doctor will tell you about your condition. You won’t have any reason to worry about finding a provider close enough or having a wreck on the way there.
The fact is that telemedicine is coming on strong. With all the benefits it can provide, the expanded use of telemedicine will be a great help and relief for many people around the world.
This post is sponsored by BetterHelp.
Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health-related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.