Healthcare at Home: Telehealth for Women's Health

Published in Programs & Services on February 10, 2021

Originally featured in “VGM Playbook: Forecasting 2021” by VGM & Associates, vice president of Essentially Women, Nikki Jensen, discusses how telehealth will most likely continue to be used in the women's health industry post-pandemic. You can access the full playbook here

The past year has been hard. There was no guidebook to reference, and no amount of Google searching could have predicted the entirety of what 2020 would
bring. This past year has also introduced us to several new terms and catchphrases, such as: the new normal, social distancing, and flattening the curve.

The one that seems to get people the most riled up is the new normal—that’s because it implies things aren’t going back to the way they were. We’re all hoping for the day when our lives will go back to the way they were pre-March 2020. But rather than dwelling on the negative, I think we should start calling it “the next normal.”

If you look back over history, there have been many times when events changed our lives permanently and created our next normal. Women’s right to vote and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech are two that come to mind. One of the things we should embrace as a change that will forever positively impact the way we serve patients is the opportunity for telehealth.

While there will always be a preference for seeing patients face-to-face, this past year has taught us that using technology can be effective and efficient when it comes to overcoming obstacles that prevent a patient from physically being in front of us.

Be aware, though, when it comes to telehealth and video conferencing platforms—not all systems are created equal. You want to be sure to use a platform that allows for security and HIPAA compliance. You want to choose a company that can provide documentation in the form of a HIPAA business associates agreement (BAA) in connection with their video communication product. Visit the HHS website for rules regarding telehealth platforms.


TAGS

  1. business development
  2. essentially women
  3. telehealth

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