As the pandemic continues, Americans are dealing with growing amounts of responsibilities and telemedicine is the way to go. Americans are expressing their need to communicate with a clinician or therapist about what they are feeling during this difficult time. People are finding out that there are not enough clinicians and therapists to meet their need to communicate what they are feeling and be given the tools to manage those feelings. People in rural areas bear the brunt for the lack of access to specialists. They have a solution right in their hands, on their desk, or on their nightstand by their bed – a smartphone or a tablet. Rural communities can pick up their desired device and contact a clinician or therapist with a touch of a button. Specialists can help prevent their colleagues’ further decline by telling them about their own use of telemedicine and how it is desperately needed during this challenging time that we are living in.
A report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2021 showed that telehealth visits made up a third of behavioral health visits in the previous year, compared to the 8% of visits by patients to primary care providers and 3% to other specialists. The report also highlighted a 32-fold increase in behavioral healthcare visits through telehealth throughout the pandemic. The single telemedicine platform, TotalCare, allows people in rural communities to have access to clinicians and therapists on a single platform. Patients can schedule and conduct a virtual call at their convenience in the privacy of their home. Patients do not have to worry about being paranoid about being seen at a therapist’s office by someone that they know because they can get tools from a doctor to better themselves from anywhere. They can be connected to psychiatrists that are located in urban communities without traveling long distances. Even though demands for help are evident and stress-inducing because of the pandemic, clinicians and therapists are continually trying to help patients gain access to help.
TotalCare allows people who are seeking help for their behavioral health and mental health to gain access to trained clinicians and therapists who will help them to live a healthy and productive life. Patients can schedule and conduct a call anywhere – in their home or on vacation. Patients can conduct their regularly scheduled virtual appointments without shame. The use of TotalCare reduces the motivation to not schedule appointments as a result of shame and embarrassment for getting help. Also, the use of TotalCare reduces hospitalization as a result of a lack of energy for time with family, friends, eating, cleanliness, and exercise. The use of TotalCare results in a positive change in patients’ self-esteem, motivation, and a great quality of life.
References
Siwicki, Bill. “Behavioral Health and Telemedicine: What’s in Store for 2022.” Healthcare IT News, 26 Jan. 2022, Accessed 22 June 2022. https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/behavioral-health-and-telemedicine-whats-store-2022.
“TotalCare for Mental Health.” YouTube, TotalCare, 8 Sept. 2020, Accessed 22 June 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gD1v1Y-bm94.