Telemedicine has been growing in popularity for some time with more and more organisations taking it into account when planning new ways of working and interacting. And while it’s a great development and step to take in moving your business forward, it also comes with a lot of hard work and planning in order to integrate it successfully. Firstly, you need to look at what to consider when choosing your telemedicine provider; take a look at our previous blog on exactly what you need to know, here. Once you’ve chosen your provider, you need to understand how you can successfully implement their technology into your organisation. This entails integrating in some way into your existing systems and updating processes, as well as ensuring your staff know how to use it.

We’ve looked at some of the key steps you can take to successfully integrate telemedicine technology into your business that will set you up for success.

1 – Check on technology requirements and integrations

Ensure that the technology will fit into what you’re already using within your business. You should check with your technology partner everything that will be required of your business to successfully connect all systems together. It’s also worth asking if they will demonstrate and validate how the technology can fit with what you already have or how you can adapt what you’re currently using.

2 – Design an uptake strategy

To maximise the uptake of your new telemedicine solution with both patients and staff, it’s a good idea to design a strategy that will encourage both to use it. Outline exactly how it will benefit both parties and communicate exact launch dates and milestones, so everyone is primed and ready to start using it.

3 – Provide effective staff training

Adjusting your current processes will be key. If you want to achieve successful outcomes, ensure that your staff know what your expectations are of using the technology. Similarly, remember to ask them what their expectations are too. This should align perspectives and keep everyone on the same page on how and when to use your new telemedicine solution.

4 – Have a plan for onboarding patients

Make a solid plan for getting patients ready for a new way of working with your organisation. As important as it is for staff to understand how to use the new system, it’s equally as important to make sure your patients have some pointers on how to use it too. Plan a way for them to see a walk-through of your new solution or gather some simple instructions to send out to them beforehand.

5 – Encourage feedback from both staff and patients

After initially implementing your new technology, it’s a good idea to hear how things are going from both staff and patients. This can help to identify any issues or bottlenecks being caused by using the system, and it can also show what’s working too.

This list includes but is not limited to some of the key things you can do to integrate telemedicine technology successfully into your business operations. To find out more about IbisVision’s telemedicine solution for optometry, click here.