As the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift toward telemedicine, many healthcare providers, including Advanced Practitioners (APs), are launching virtual practices to meet patient needs. Telemedicine offers convenience, safety, and accessibility, but it also presents unique challenges for providers new to this modality. If you’re preparing to start telemedicine practice, here are essential tips to help you begin successfully.
1. Prepare for Success: Technology and Medicine Combined
In telemedicine, technology plays as critical a role as medical expertise. Properly preparing your computer, software, and internet setup is key to ensuring smooth telemedicine sessions.
Telemedicine Tech Prep Tips:
- Take a Test Drive: Familiarize yourself with all the features of your telemedicine software before going live. Testing video, audio, and connectivity can help you identify potential issues, such as lagging video or poor camera placement, and troubleshoot them in advance.
- Check Your Hardware and Software: Ensure your computer has a high-quality camera, sufficient memory, and enough processing speed to handle telemedicine software.
- Maximize Internet Speed: A high-speed internet connection is essential for seamless telemedicine sessions. Close any unnecessary applications to improve overall speed and ensure reliable video quality.
2. Set the Stage for Professional Virtual Visits
Creating an optimal environment for telemedicine sessions is essential, as visual and audio distractions can interfere with patient interactions. A professional setup enhances patient focus and helps you establish trust and credibility in a virtual setting.
Tips for Setting Up Your Telemedicine Workspace:
- Choose a Well-Lit, Distraction-Free Area: Set up in a space with ample lighting to ensure patients can see you clearly. Minimize visual distractions by selecting a neutral background.
- Minimize Noise Disruptions: Choose a quiet, isolated room for your telemedicine sessions, and mute all devices and notifications before beginning. This helps maintain a professional environment and allows for undisturbed patient interactions
3. Enhance Engagement: Presentation is Key
Telemedicine requires a heightened level of engagement to build rapport and communicate effectively, as both body language and tone carry more weight in virtual appointments. To ensure you’re presenting yourself effectively, consider practicing and refining your virtual presence.
Tips for Effective Presentation in Telemedicine:
- Practice Your Body Language and Tone: Consider recording a practice session to evaluate your body language and tone. This helps you identify any unintentional habits, such as lack of eye contact or closed-off body language, that may affect patient interactions.
- Maintain Eye Contact and Positive Demeanor: Look directly into the camera to simulate eye contact, and keep your posture open and attentive. A warm, clear tone and visible engagement help patients feel heard and understood.
4. Prioritize Comprehensive Documentation
Without access to many diagnostic tools or in-person physical assessments, telemedicine relies heavily on precise and comprehensive documentation. Documenting each visit thoroughly is crucial for maintaining quality care and ensuring clear communication with other healthcare providers who may later review these records.
Tips for Documenting Telemedicine Visits:
- Adapt Your Inquiry and Documentation Skills: Since telemedicine relies on verbal communication, take extra care to ask detailed questions to gather comprehensive information. Detailed documentation will compensate for the lack of physical assessment and help provide a thorough record of each encounter.
- Use Templates and Checklists: Consider using digital templates or checklists for common conditions to streamline documentation. These can ensure that you’re consistently collecting critical information during virtual visits.
Starting Your Telemedicine Practice: Setting Yourself Up for Success
Launching a telemedicine practice is an exciting opportunity to provide accessible care to patients in a safe and convenient format. With proper preparation, attention to technical details, and a focus on clear communication, you can create a professional and effective telemedicine experience.
By following these steps, you can make a smooth transition into telemedicine and deliver high-quality care that meets patient needs during this unprecedented time and beyond.
*Originally posted on 6/15/2020. Last updated on 11/1/2024.
With a career focused on healthcare Business Development and Service Line performance, Paul had recently been at the forefront redefining the traditional In-house Provider Recruiting role. In his position as Medical Staff Development Officer at University Hospitals, Lake Health Region in Cleveland, Ohio, Paul integrated collegial interaction, analytics, and provider experience expertise to drive a differentiated recruitment strategy.
Paul has brought that knowledge and experience to Client Sourcing at PracticeMatch. Joining PracticeMatch in 2021, Paul supports Client Sourcing’s pro-active recruiting model that generates a robust prospect pool, creates an effective and efficient recruiting experience, and identifies key metrics to ensure optimal performance for the client. Paul has a commitment to learning, development and passion for building a team of recruiting professionals to leverage their national footprint which benefits its client organizations and their candidates.