Why are more clinicians and advanced practitioners choosing to work telemedicine?
Wondering whether telemedicine is right for you?
More clinicians and advanced practitioners are choosing to practice telemedicine for a variety of reasons. Below are the five we hear most frequently.
What are the top reasons to try telehealth?
- Better work-life balance - It's no secret clinicians are burned out. According to a 2022 Medscape report, burnout among physicians increased five-percentage points, from 42% in 2020 to 47% in 2021, with symptoms greatly affecting their quality of life. Practicing telemedicine can help clinicians take back their time. With the freedom to work from their own homes, telemedicine is allowing clinicians to cut down on the time they spend traveling to and from the often numerous facilities where they see patients.
- More flexible scheduling - When you practice telemedicine, you can practice across time zones. Live in Georgia and only want to see patients in the evening? Schedule appointments with patients living across the country during more typical office hours! Telemedicine lends itself to more flexible scheduling than working from a brick-and-mortar office.
- Make yourself a more appealing candidate - With more organizations adopting telehealth services, having telemedicine experience makes you a more appealing candidate. Telehealth experience is something you can add to your resume so you can better position yourself for future opportunities.
- Experience higher patient satisfaction - The reason why you went into medicine was to help people. Telehealth allows clinicians to connect with patients who wouldn't otherwise be able to access the care they desperately need. Telemedicine cuts down on the stress of commuting to and from a provider's office, lends itself to better continuity of care and results in shorter wait times to see a provider. Overall, patients are often more satisfied with the care they receive via telemedicine than the care they receive care face-to-face.
- The industry is growing - Telemedicine providers are more in demand than ever, and the growth the telehealth industry is experiencing isn't expected to slow down any time soon. The global telehealth market was estimated at $55.9 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.4% from 2021 to 2028. This kind of growth means there are new telemedicine opportunities every day!
When I reached Medicare age, I really wanted to keep my hand in practice but also have time to enjoy my family and other things I’d been putting off for decades. I contacted the LocumTenens.com recruiter I worked with on previous locum tenens assignments. I told her I wanted to practice telemedicine so I could have a flexible schedule and the ability to work limited hours, and she was able to find the perfect assignment for me. I don’t have to deal with traffic anymore. I live in a Washington DC suburb where traffic is a nightmare. Telehealth allows me to save at least two hours a day that I would otherwise lose to an atrocious commute. Recently, a friend called and asked if I could work for her for a few hours a week. I told her the only way I would do it is if she went through LocumTenens.com. My recruiter manages everything, and there’s no administrative hassle on my end whatsoever. She will step in to iron out any difficulties which might arise during an assignment. Malpractice insurance is a big deal to me; it’s very expensive to acquire it independently, and LocumTenens.com handles that for me too. I don’t have to worry about billing, and I know exactly how much money I’ll make. It’s effortless on my part.