The process of telehealth wound care is changing rapidly, Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are becoming more accurate and accessible, reimbursement codes now allow telehealth visits to be covered by insurance, and many more advances are happening everyday. To help you gain up-to-date knowledge, our team answered some important telehealth questions below:
Q: What are the advantages of telehealth?
A: Telehealth has many advantages over in person care, for example, it allows an increase in physician choice because traveling is no longer a barrier to meet with the healthcare professional. Telehealth often keeps a digital record of their patients chart called an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) or an Electronic Health Record (EHR). EHRs are real-time, patient-centered records that make information available instantly and securely to authorized users. This helps the environment as there is less need for paper and also allows access to evidence-based tools that providers can use to make decisions about a patient’s care.
Q: How do I select the correct telehealth tool to improve patient care?
A: The use of digital tools in healthcare has greatly increased in recent years. A large part of this is because of the Covid-19 pandemic more people are becoming comfortable with telehealth care. When selecting which digital tool would work best for you there are many factors to consider. These include price of the product, ease of use, and benefits to the patient.
Q: Can telehealth technology be applied to wound care?
A: In addition to standard telehealth benefits, wound imaging can also provide additional data around wound size, tissue color, and other wound-related data that will enable a more precise treatment plan for the patient. Those who are using a wound telehealth product are able to have a family member or caregiver take wound pictures at home – and then remote physicians and nurses can immediately access the data. Because the wound telehealth software application is cloud-based, the secure wound data can be accessed by authorized remote physicians and nurses. A great example of where this approach can work are rural communities where in-home patients have limited access to local wound care experts.
Q: How do I ensure that I get the most accurate wound healing results from digital imaging technology?
A: Because reduction in wound area is the key indicator of healing progress, digital measuring and monitoring of wounds is a valuable resource for wound care. It allows more accurate measurements to be taken and to see the level of healing progress taking place. In order to get the most accurate results from your digital image technology there are techniques you can follow when taking pictures with your mobile phone or tablet:
- Make sure the camera, the reference marker (i.e. dot), and the wound – are all aligned and parallel
- If possible, have the same nurse take pictures of the same patients each week – for consistency
- Adopt a consistent policy for proper and accurate measurement of wounds across facilities or staff.
Q: How have reimbursement codes changed to cover telehealth visits?
A: The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic increase to the coverage of telehealth services. The 1135 waiver has been created which facilitates the expansion of telehealth. The 1135 waiver states that all health care practitioners who are authorized to bill Medicare for their professional services may also furnish and bill for telehealth services. As a result, Medicare will pay the same amount for telehealth services as it would if the service were furnished in person. In addition, there are no longer any geographic constraints resistricting coverage to only those who live in remote locations.
Q: If you are a wound care product supplier, how can a software analytics tool show the efficacy of your products?
A: The use of wound telehealth can have many benefits to wound care product providers, including the enhancement of wound product offerings by using a tool like WoundWiseIQ to show the efficacy of products. Using the wound software analytic tool creates a timeline of wound healing. The wound trending timeline shows images and data by date, captures treatment and product info, and correlates with the wounds’ healing progress, and all of this can be managed remotely. Together, WoundWise IQ teamed with the most effective product, can heal the wound quickly, and ultimately help the person we are most focused on – the patient.
Learn more about one of the leading wound telehealth tools – WoundWiseIQ – and how you might become a customer and potentially a reseller of the product. Contact gary@medcomplianceiq.com, or ask for a meeting and demo here: https://woundwiseiq.com/schedule-demo/