Five Top-Rated Telemedicine Software Platforms

Telemedicine has gained importance during this crisis that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought upon us. At a time when social distancing is one of the primary measures used to fight the pandemic, telemedicine is surfacing as a key technology for establishing efficient and safe communication between healthcare professionals or organizations and patients. The World Health Organization (WHO) has mentioned telemedicine as one of the essential services in reinforcing the “Health Systems Response to COVID-19” policy.

Benefits of Telemedicine Software for Patients

Now that you had a look at the top five telemedicine software, here are few benefits that these platforms offer to patients:

• Access to Specialists: Patients who require the attention of a specialist must invest a lot of time and drive long distances for each visit. Telemedicine software platforms makes it possible for you to leverage the expertise of specialists who are not around.

• Less Time in the Waiting Room: If you use the video calling feature via telemedicine software, you will save all the time wasted looking at old magazines in a clinic. In addition to this, the software also offers a notification feature, which will alert you as soon as your doctor is ready to see you virtually.

• No Need to Take Time Off from Work: Telemedicine software largely eliminates the need to take time off from work. You can just schedule your visit before or after work, or during a break. You can be anywhere that gives you enough privacy. You can obey your doctor’s follow-up instructions and take care of yourself without wasting your precious paid time-off or missing a day at work.

• On-Demand Options: A rising number of doctors are using telemedicine software these days. Hence, there is a good chance that you will be able to see your regular physician while using these platforms. In case you can’t, but still need remote access to healthcare, there are different on-demand, online-only experts present on such platforms. Even though they can’t treat every condition, they can help with a wide range of issues.

• Saves Transportation Time and Costs: When you see your doctor using telemedicine software platforms, you can save money on parking, gas, and public transportation. In addition to this, you do not risk running into a traffic jam that makes you late for your appointment.

• Less Chance of Catching a New Illness: A doctor’s office is the place where you certainly find a lot of sick people. While everybody tries their best to prevent one individual from catching something from another, it is next to impossible, especially in crowded waiting rooms. By staying home, you get the treatment you need, thereby lowering the chance that you will pass your illness on to someone else, and vice versa.

Benefits of Telemedicine Software for Doctors

Telemedicine software not only benefits patients but also doctors. How? Here are some advantages of telemedicine software for doctors:

• Improved Patient Satisfaction Score Online: In today’s modern world, chances are high that new patients will search you up online before they pay a visit. Telemedicine software might improve your patient satisfaction scores by providing convenient access to care and shorter wait times. As per a Harvard research study, an average patient spends almost 121 minutes for a doctor’s visit and only spends 20 minutes of that time with the physician. Enhance your patient’s satisfaction by providing convenient virtual healthcare and shorter wait times.

• Improved Workflow: Many telemedicine software platforms assist clinical staff quickly understand a patient’s reason for calling, so they can make recommendations, prioritize care delivery, and offer treatment. The staff members can assign tasks to the proper clinicians, making sure that physicians, nurses, and specialists are able to use their skills for the right patient scenarios.

• Expanded Access to Care: It is no secret that we are facing a scarcity of clinical providers. Many physician practices and hospitals lack the medical staff they require. Offering medical call centers and nursing advice lines expands access to care without the need for patients to wait for a long time. Telemedicine software can connect with patients outside the delivery system, expand services to patients in rural areas, and analyze patient symptoms to assist know when they require physician care.

• Added Revenue Stream: Telemedicine software might attract new patients or act as an incentive for current patients to seek treatment regularly due to the convenience it offers. Doctors can bill for phone calls or virtual visits, which take less time than conventional visits, and offer a direct connection to patients virtually without having to examining them physically, thereby increasing the revenue.

Different healthcare facilities are increasingly preferring telemedicine software platforms to optimize patient care and minimize the spread of the virus simultaneously. Have you started using telemedicine software yet? Here are the top five telemedicine software solutions that will help you get on board.

1. Doxy Me

Doxy.me is a safe, simple, secure, and one of the best telemedicine software apps for Android, iOS, and desktop. The software is easy to use and you do not have to configure it on your own. In addition to this, the software can be easily integrated with electronic medical records (EMR) software or Practice Management (PM) software.  The software is available in free and paid versions. The major advantage of Doxy Me is that the free version offers unlimited voice, message, and video communications, making it a helpful app for many people.

Features of Doxy Me

• Quality Video: Doxy I offers high-quality HD audio and video calling feature to make sure that both doctors and patients have the best experience possible.
• No Downloads: While using this software, you do not need any plugins to install or download. The software works automatically in most popular browsers.
• Mobile-Friendly: Using this software, doctors can offer care to their patients from almost anywhere in the world using a mobile browser.
• Meeting History: Doxy Me keeps track of the time, date, and duration of every session. Therefore, doctors don't have to keep track of anything.
• Personalized Waiting Room: Doctors can personalize waiting room for their patients with pictures, text, and videos to enjoy while waiting.

2. Teladoc

Teladoc is a software that enables patients to access a huge network of doctors. Patients only need a smartphone app to access the software, even though they can use a desktop to access their records. This software allows patients to speak to a medical expert about health issues and routine illnesses.

Features of Teladoc

• Licensed Physicians and Nurses: Teladoc acts as a leading platform for patients to connect with licensed physicians and other professionals, which are certified in their specialty with an over 90% satisfaction rating and are among the top 5% of specialists worldwide.
• Expanded Care: Care is provided across multiple areas of medicine, sufficing from the most basic to most complex needs.
• Care for Mental Health: Teladoc also has offerings for mental health conditions as well. There are certified professionals including both psychologists and therapists to help people who feel anxious, stressed, or depressed due to existing conditions.

3. AMC Health

This is one of the telemedicine software platforms that facilitate virtual conferencing between patients and doctors, as a part of care coordination and health monitoring. The software provides features such as Bluetooth connectivity and tracking to allow different remote devices to send biometric information, which can be provided by either a caregiver or the patient.

Features of AMC Health

• Enhanced User Experience: The software detects early diseases and complications easily with the help of advanced technology, thereby offering improved user experience.
• FDA Class II Clearance: AMC Health is FDA Class II cleared care management platform and has the ability to bridge the gap between patients and doctors.

4. Mend

Mend is a full-featured telemedicine platform that is developed to increase profitability and efficiency by decreasing the volume of missed appointments. It does this by adding online forms, messaging appointment reminders, and providing patient self-scheduling, all of which together seek to decrease missed appointments significantly. The software also provides different features such as video calling and survey options.

Features of Mend

• Patient Appointment Reminders: Using Mend, you can send email and text as well as make a phone call to the patient to remind them about the appointment and reduce no-shows. This feature uses multiple factors to reduce the chances of your patients forgetting their appointments.
• No-Show & Cancellation Prediction: The software’s PredictiveIQ Artificially Intelligent (AI), which is the industry’s first, predicts cancellations and no-shows before they occur.
• Digital Patient Intake Forms: The software allows patients to click a link from their doctor’s website or via text/email message to digitally complete all their forms from any device.

5. OnCall Health

This is one of the telemedicine software platforms that offer virtual care solutions for healthcare organizations. The software provides features such as instant messaging, group video, and practice automation tools. OnCall Health is available on any browser or device and also offers electronic medical records (EMR) software integrations along with custom analytics. Using this software, users can launch their own secure virtual care service and scale the business with the support of the in-house team.

Features of OnCall Health

• Enhanced Engagement Tools: OnCall Health offers enhanced engagement tools such as screen sharing, video call, and built-in informed consent to expand the services to all types of patients.
• Advanced Scheduling: This feature allows patients to schedule an appointment beforehand so that they can manage all their work in time and not miss their appointment.
• Progress Tracking: OnCall Health allows doctors and physicians to track the progress and results of their patients effectively.

As the advantages (both for doctors and patients), as well as features of top five telemedicine software are introduced here, making the right selection may be difficult. The choice of the right software will entirely depend on your requirements, budget, frequency of use, and other factors. Remember, by choosing any of these telemedicine software platforms or other ones, you are not only taking a safer route towards establishing a contact with your healthcare provider but also contributing to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.