The health of employees being essential to the proper functioning of any organization, companies no longer hesitate to make substantial investments in order to allow employees to benefit from quality care. In order to support the physical and mental health of their employees, some employers are using innovative solutions such as telemedecine. Corporate telemedicine has many advantages for employees and employers. Discover them!
Telemedicine: what is it?
In concrete terms, telemedicine brings together all the medical procedures that are performed remotely, during consultations for which the practitioner and his patient are not physically present. With telemedicine, a patient can, from the place where he is, connect via a smartphone, a tablet or a computer, with health professionals located remotely.
Telemedicine is a medical practice that is divided into five major medical acts. It is :
- teleconsultation;
- tele-expertise;
- medical remote monitoring;
- medical teleassistance;
- and medical response.
These different medical acts performed in the context of telemedicine have their particularities.
Teleconsultation
The teleconsultation is a consultation carried out remotely by a medical professional (liberal doctor or employee of a health structure). Billed in the same way as a face-to-face consultation, teleconsultation can be done for different medical situations.
Teleexpertise
About the teleexpertise, it is a collaborative practice. It allows a medical professional to get in touch and then to exchange remotely with other medical professionals. Thanks to collaborative telemedicinea doctor can therefore seek the advice of various specialists and obtain information that willdecide on a diagnosis or therapeutic strategy for a patient. In this sense, tele-expertise makes it possible to reduce delays in patient care and follow-up.
Medical telemonitoring
The medical telemonitoring is a practice in which a health expert interprets a patient’s clinical or biological information remotely. The interpretation of a patient’s clinical or biological data is necessary for his medical follow-up.
Medical teleassistance
The medical teleassistance is a practical solution. It allows a health professional to remotely assist one of his colleagues during the performance of a medical or surgical act.
The medical response
The medical response in the context of telemedicine is that provided by the centers FIND. The medical professionals in these centers establish initial diagnoses by telephone in order to determine the responses best suited to the situations they face.
The benefits of using telemedicine in business for employees
Used in the context of a business, the telemedecine has many benefits for employees. Telemedicine allows employees in particular to:
- save time;
- to have better access to health care;
- to benefit from appropriate health care;
- and improve their healing time.
Note also that telemedicine is a solution that turns out to be secure for employees who use it in the event of a health problem.
Telemedicine and time saving
The first advantage linked to telemedicine in companies for employees relates to the time saving. Since they can be consulted from their workplace, employees no longer need to travel to a medical facility for a consultation. As a result, teleconsultation allows employees to save time and travel costs.
Telemedicine and improving access to healthcare
The second advantage relating to telemedicine in companies for employees concerns the improvement of theaccess to medical care generally. Indeed, with telemedicine, employees are guaranteed to immediately come into contact with health professionals. No matter where they are, they can quickly be consulted by health specialists.
Telemedicine and access to adapted health care
With telemedicine, employees can receive appropriate medical care at their place of work or wherever convenient for them. Telemedicine then appears to be a practical solution, as it allows the rapid identification of health problems and the implementation of adequate treatments.
With telemedicine, employees are also guaranteed to benefit from the expertise of professionals health care that suits their health issues. Employees can be put in touch with general practitioners, specialist doctors and even paramedical experts. It therefore allows the employees of a company to benefit from a comprehensive medical care.
Telemedicine and improving healing time
It is important to specify that telemedicine can also help sick employees to recover much faster. With telemedicine, sick employees can be treated more quickly and enjoy a adequate recovery program, and this, without even having to be absent from their post.
Telemedicine and employee safety
Telemedicine is an excellent alternative when going in person to a doctor’s office in the event of a health problem presents risks. Thus, in the event of the closure of health centers or of a pandemic, for example, employees will be able to consult safely.
In addition, employees who are consulted in the telemedicine cabins are certain that the teleconsultations carried out with health professionals are strictly confidential. As the medical cabins are soundproofed, employees can express themselves freely with the doctors, without having to fear being heard. In addition, health professionals are bound by medical secrecy. They cannot therefore reveal the minutes of the consultation to the employers.
The benefits of corporate telemedicine for employers
The establishment of a telemedicine service in business is also beneficial for the company. Telemedicine allows employers to comply with their legal obligations, reduces absenteeism within the organization and contributes to the improvement of the company’s brand image.
Telemedicine and the legal obligations of employers
Employers are required to ensure the security as well as protect the physical and mental health of their employees. This presupposes the implementation of occupational risk prevention actions, information campaigns and the establishment of an appropriate organization for the protection of employees. The installation of a telemedicine service in a company allows employers to meet these different obligations. However, employers will have to take other measures to be in full compliance with the provisions of the regulations in force.
Telemedicine and the reduction of absenteeism in the workplace
By offering telemedicine to employees, the company also significantly reduces absenteeism at work as well as cases of work stoppages. By allowing employees’ health problems to be taken care of in time, telemedicine increases the chances of resolving them quickly.
Telemedicine and the improvement of corporate brand image
Employees are more likely to trust to an organization that is effectively committed to the preservation of their health. By offering telemedicine to its employees, the company that opts for this solution demonstrates innovation and shows that it cares about employee well-being.
Of these two tools, the use of a secure platform appears to be a more practical solution. In fact, this option is favored by most companies that opt for telemedicine.
Operation of a corporate telemedicine service
Companies wishing to install a telemedicine service must first make a request for submission on the site of a service provider offering this service. After studying the request, the service provider informs the company of the tariff linked to the use of online medical care. The cost is set according to the number of employees who will benefit from virtual medical care.
Once the company is registered for online medical care, a telemedicine platform is made available to employees. In practice, when they access the online medicine platform, they will have to fill out a form and describe their symptoms. They will then be quickly put in contact with a doctor for an online consultation. Virtual consultations can be done by video or audio call, at any time of the day.
Health needs that can be supported by a telemedicine service
The telemedicine service in company is able:
- to take care of acute health problems such as colds, flu and various infections;
- to ensure the chronic disease management such as hypertension or asthma;
- and to offer support for the mental problems of employees.
In addition, corporate telemedicine can also be useful for employees who would like to analysis request (blood or laboratory), ultrasound or X-ray.
