Computers and Technology Inside

It is amazing to think that only a few years ago no one heard of, much less had, a tablet device such as the iPad. Cell phones now do more computing and provide us more access to the world than even the fastest computers not many years ago. We are a world that is very connected by emerging technology. You can’t walk 10 feet down a busy street or stand in line at any store without seeing someone surfing the web on their smart phone. Most people wouldn’t know what to do without such ease of access to their interests and services that they want at the touch of a finger.

Most businesses are now making every attempt to keep up with technology and provide their services in a very accessible way to their customers. One field that has generally lagged behind in all modes of technology is the field of medicine. There are many reasons for this. Notoriously doctors are bad business men and women and don’t have the time or interest in using new technology to advance their practice and communicate with patients. Government rules and regulations also make it difficult as there are many privacy rules which must be integrated into new technologies as well.

There is a growing trend in medicine to provide quick access to your doctor. This new technology has been labeled “telemedicine.” Telemedicine refers to the ability to communicate with your doctor NOT needing to be in the office. This is more than just a phone call with a question, but rather a complete office visit with a treatment plan at the conclusion. The goal of this is to allow for patient convenience by avoiding long waiting room times and quicker access to the doctor. This also allows the doctor more time freeing up in-office visits for sicker patients who need to be examined and require more time.

This field is growing quickly with many companies developing the technology to link patients easily to their doctor. Some platforms use video conferencing so your physician can see you and vice versa. Some systems use phone calls. All are integrated directly to your medical record as if it were any other visit. Now imagine picking up your smartphone and having “face time” with your doctor? Sure beats sitting in the waiting room for hours!

Some limitations at this point do exist. Insurance only reimburses certain medical conditions such as mental health visits and kidney failure. I strongly suspect as more practices choose to use this technology (and patients), insurance companies will see the cost saving benefits and agree to reimburse for the visit. Not all doctors use this technology. In fact relatively few do at this time. As stated before, doctors are slow to catch on. Pain management doctors seem to be the first to be adopting this useful technology. Pain patients require frequent follow up. Allowing online pain management via telemedicine lets pain management doctors to stay closely connected with their patients without the patient having to sit in a waiting room month after month. Also, there are relatively few pain specialists. Not everyone lives in a metropolitan city with thousands of doctors at their fingertips. Well now the doctor is at your fingertips through telemedicine. Patients in more remote areas can visit with a pain doctor through online pain management just as if you were in the big city.

Telemedicine is in its infancy. With the rapid growth of technology and the demand consumers have to easy access via this technology to the services they want, the healthcare field will adapt. For those with chronic pain, luckily the option is available today.