Banty Co-Founder and Medical Director, Dr. Richard Tytus, provided the subject matter and direction for this article. The author would like to thank Adam Grant for his editorial assistance in writing the article. Dr. Richard Tytus takes responsibility for the content of the article.
The future is here, and with it comes more and more clinics having online medical consultations with patients. While in-person appointments are by no means a thing of the past, technology now allows for a new way of approaching patient care.
As a healthcare professional, it is your responsibility to provide the best patient care possible. This includes – but is not limited to – expanding your availability. By welcoming a virtual medicine solution into your practice, you can provide a more convenient appointment option for patients, especially those who have trouble travelling to a clinic.
However, if you choose to offer video call appointments to patients, it is on you and your team to make them a vital part of your clinic. Here’s how to go about that:
Embrace Change
Before instituting online doctor’s appointments, see that your team at the clinic is fully invested in the change. Having all doctors, nurses, and office staff embrace a move toward telemedicine will make the transition that much easier.
When such a transition is that simple, your clinic will be able to show a unified front to patients who may be on the fence about joining their doctor for a video conference. The sooner this unification happens, the sooner the virtual medicine service you’ve chosen will have a big impact on your practice.
Properly Introduce Patients to Clinic Video Calls
Once everyone working at your practice has gotten comfortable with the concept of an online clinic, it is time to introduce this option to patients.
Now, not every patient will jump at the opportunity to have an online doctor’s appointment. Some will have privacy/security concerns, while others will not be comfortable with the technology you are asking them to use.
In these instances, it’s appropriate to take a kinder, gentler approach. Don’t force anyone to have a video call with their doctor. Rather, thoughtfully explain how the technology works and outline its benefits. Once a patient has a better understanding about the service being offered to them, they could be intrigued to give your clinic’s video chat app a try.
Have a Tech-Savvy Team
When a patient is ready to give an online doctor visit a try, it is crucial that your team be with them every step of the way. This means making sure everyone working at the clinic has a thorough understanding of the virtual medicine service being used.
Once your team is properly trained on the technology, it will be able to support patients who struggle to log on for an appointment, or are confused about the process. When patients know a helping hand is not far from them, they will feel more comfortable giving video call technology a try.
Keep Patient Consultations Comfortable and Familiar
One concern you could run into from patients is their belief that the nature of their appointments will be tangibly different in a virtual environment.
At this moment, it is your job to explain to wary patients that apart from being in the same room together, their experience with you will remain the same. Communicate that the appointments will be just as thorough as before, and you will not be cutting any corners when it comes to discussing important medical matters.
Also, it’s worth noting to patients that you will not be stopping them from having in-person appointments. Simply explain not all of them need to happen at the clinic, and that virtual care appointments are as important to you as in-person ones.
Choose the Right Virtual Medicine Provider
A live video chat online is only as good as the provider you choose to work with. Banty, for instance, has developed a cost-effective, secure, easy-to-use video call platform for clinics.
Banty’s goal from the get-go was to make it simple for doctors and their patients to connect virtually. Tap here to learn more about Banty Virtual Clinic and its forwarding-thinking features.
