Telemedicine for primary care:
a technology breakdown

Telemedicine for primary care: a technology breakdown

April 11, 2023

Key statistics about primary care telemedicine

of medical consultations were made to primary care physicians

CDC, 2019-2021

of 65+ patients gave televisits top scores for personalization and comprehensiveness

AGS, 2022

clinicians agree that telehealth helps them provide high quality care

AMA, 2021

The architecture of a primary care telemedicine solution

Doctors and nursesEHRMedical imaging systemsRemote patient monitoring devicesLaboratory information systemsOther 3d party apps (payment gateways, electronic prescription software, hospital management software, etc.)Patients and caregiversInformational dashboardfor different user groupsCloud server for data storage and processingAdminsVideo and audiostreaming serversorEHROther 3d party apps (payment gateways, electronic prescription software, hospital management software, etc.)orMedical imaging systemsRemote patient monitoring devicesLaboratory information systemsPatients & caregiversInformational dashboardfor different user groupsDoctors and nursesCloud server for data storage and processingAdminsVideo and audiostreaming servers

Key functionality of telemedicine for primary care

A primary care telemedicine solution possesses specific functionality to efficiently connect patients and physicians.

Consultations and diagnostics enablement

    • Surveys to determine patients’ condition
    • One-on-one video and audio consultations with front-line care providers
    • Chats for synchronous and asynchronous communication
    • Secure image sharing
    • Recordings of therapy sessions and consultations
    • Integration with EHR systems for a full view of patients’ health

    Expand your healthcare organization’s reach with a telemedicine solution

    Get a quote

    Essential integrations for primary care telemedicine

    Clinics can enhance their teleconsultations by integrating the software with other medical tools and software. Still, it is crucial to seamlessly integrate telemedicine solutions with other systems to secure patient data exchange.

    EMR/EHR
    Healthcare IoT
    Pharmacy management software
    Medical data analytics software
    Primary care telemedicine solution
    Billing and insurance management solutions
    Medical image software
    Hospital management software
    Laboratory management systems

    Enables first-line medical workers to access patients’ full medical history

    Helps conduct remote examinations and provides patients’ vitals to primary care physicians for a clearer view of the condition

    Enables online medication prescriptions and simplifies the placement and delivery of orders and refills

    Enhances the accuracy of diagnoses and helps physicians predict the likely developments of conditions

    Billing and insurance management solutions

    Facilitates primary care reimbursements and simplifies communication with insurance providers

    Medical image software

    Allows clinicians and patients access to CT scans, X-rays, ultrasounds, and other medical images

    Simplifies care management procedures (e.g. scheduling patient appointments and referring them to specialists)

    Laboratory management systems

    Speeds up the delivery of test results to patients and their primary care providers

    Why choose telemedicine for primary care

    About 60% of Americans either do not have or do not use a primary care physician, which deteriorates the population’s health and puts additional pressure on hospitals and ERs. Telemedicine, however, is able to solve the above problem and offer some other additional benefits.

    Better access to care

    Telehealth helps patients connect to their medical provider without wasting time and energy on travel and waiting in line. This is especially valuable for people in rural areas, with disabling mental health conditions, or the elderly. Additionally, telemedicine reduces costs by 61% compared to in-person visits, found Alliance for Connected Care, which influences people’s decision to opt for virtual care. Combine all of these benefits with longer sessions from attentive medical personnel, and you’ll get a recipe for increased patient satisfaction.

    Scheme title: Telemedicine’s influence on accessibility of quality healthcare and telemedicine’s effect on patient satisfaction
    Data source: ama-assn.org — 2021 Telehealth Survey Report

    Real-life examples of telemedicine in primary care

    Our team delivered a suite consisting of a mobile telemedicine app and a web-based admin portal for nurses, serving as the first line of medical help for sexual assault victims in rural and underserved areas in the US. This HIPAA-compliant app supports high video resolution during patient examination, flawlessly connects to smart remote monitoring and imaging devices, and securely transmits data. It enables nurses to get 24/7 consultations from experts for accurate evidence collection while providing a safe environment for the victims.

    Scheme title: Mobile telehealth interface
    Data source: itransition.com — A remote patient monitoring and mobile telehealth suite

    RPM and mobile telehealth suite
    RPM and mobile telehealth suite

    Primary care telehealth software implementation roadmap

    Healthcare organizations usually go through five stages during telehealth software adoption for primary healthcare.

    1

    Requirements gathering

    IT consultants and industry experts collaborate with an in-house team of medical professionals to clarify the health organization's main goals and requirements for the telemedicine software. Proceeding from this, they choose the most suitable technology stack and the development approach.

    2

    Project planning

    The organization’s in-house medical team and the vendor’s team create a detailed plan of the implementation process, consisting of hardware and network preparation, solution installation, integration, and post-implementation tuning.

    3

    Development

    A secure and compliant software with a patient-centric interface is developed and connected to the necessary third-party services, or upgraded with additional modules, and tested to fix any bugs. The software’s quality is also continuously assured throughout the process.

    4

    Deployment and training

    The telehealth solution is installed into the organization's health IT ecosystem. The vendor or a third-party consultant conducts training sessions for personnel. Established medical workflows are modified in view of the telemedicine solution.

    5

    Support and modernization

    The vendor’s team provides post-implementation support to resolve any issues that come up during the solution’s usage, monitor its performance, and implement upgrades when necessary.

    Cost factors and ROI

    The cost of a primary care telehealth solution depends largely on the required capabilities, the size of the organization and its patient base as well as the number of integrations. Using low-cost or open-source modules will decrease the size of development investment, while numerous customizations will increase the costs significantly. On average, primary care telehealth software costs range from $150,000 for a simple solution that enables video or audio visits, consultation scheduling, and treatment plan. The price for  a complex suite with AI-enhanced chatbots, analytics, and RPM capabilities will start from $400,000. A healthcare provider can expect a return on investment in roughly six months after the system’s successful implementation.

    Scheme title: The correlation between the solution’s complexity and cost

    Innovate your primary care with telemedicine

    Innovate your primary care with telemedicine

    There is no turning back from telemedicine anymore: it is praised by physicians for returning satisfaction to their work and by patients for making medical services more accessible. So it’s no wonder that the majority of healthcare organizations across the US are either planning to offer hybrid care services or are already providing them. If you are among the healthcare innovators who want to provide accessible continuous care to more patients, give medical professionals better working opportunities, and open new revenue streams, consider implementing telemedicine for primary care sooner rather than later.

    Innovate your primary care with telemedicine

    Boost your primary care’s efficiency with a custom HIPAA-compliant telehealth solution

    Contact us

    FAQs about telemedicine for primary care

    Getting started with telehealth solutions can seem overwhelming, but our experts can help you at any step of the implementation journey, including answering the most pressing questions.

    What are the most popular primary care telemedicine platforms?

    Is primary care telemedicine covered by Medicare?

    What are the hallmark qualities of telemedicine solutions?