This week, we’ll have seen one year since the COVID-19 lockdowns “officially” began…which brought a lot of changes to our lives. And while some industries and businesses have suffered extraordinary losses in both revenue and market share, others have sprouted in their place – and thrived!
Think about it. We avoided going to stores like, well, the plague. Enter Amazon grocery delivery to your door, along with new ways of shopping locally via Instacart and individual retailers – and not just for groceries! We stopped going out to eat. Usher in the age of Door Dash, Uber Eats and GrubHub. Virtually any restaurant, any cuisine, delivered right to your door – enough so to give even the legendary deliveries of the Big Apple a run for their money! We cancelled business meetings, interviews and appointments. No problem, thanks to services like Zoom and Microsoft Teams – and introduced us to new “business on the top, leisure on the bottom” wardrobes!
Of course, we haven’t yet mentioned the “viral elephant” in the room…healthcare. As one medical facility and service after another shut down, soon they all began to fall like dominos. Coping with a genuine pandemic left every healthcare professional, their facilities and practices, support services and staff members, scrambling to establish new protocols and means to continue providing quality medical care. And this was the TRUE dawn of telemedicine!
Obviously, some sectors of the healthcare community were able to pivot much more easily than others. Therapists probably were best-equipped for this transition, while many others – such as surgeons, ophthalmologists and dentists – found themselves floundering amid the growing pandemic restrictions and patient reluctance.
Yet, the insurance industry has actually had multiple billing codes for teledentistry available for years, and reached the clinical acceptance “tipping point” IN 2018…a full THREE YEARS before the COVID-19 shutdowns! So, the question begs to be asked: “How DOES one do dentistry ‘remotely’?!?” Yeah, good question. And one we wondered about, too – prompting a deeper dive.
First, we discovered there’s an actual organization exclusively dedicated to this! The American Teledentistry Association, who began releasing facts about this new oral care innovation in 2013, exists with a sole mission to:
“increase access to dental care through advocacy for and the implementation of innovative teledentistry guidelines and solutions.”
Their initial findings from more than eight years ago, proved to be a harbinger of the things to come in 2020! We can now see evidence of these early dental profession indicators growing exponentially in the past 12 months alone. As we explore some of the facets of teledentistry, a textbook definition might be the best place to start. So, what exactly IS “teledentistry”?
“Teledentistry is the use of electronic information, imaging and communication technologies, including interactive audio, video, data communications as well as store and forward technologies, to provide and support dental care delivery, diagnosis, consultation, treatment, transfer of dental information and education…
“Teledentistry reflects a broader, changing healthcare landscape moving toward innovation, integration and convenient care. These days, it’s become commonplace for customers to purchase contacts, conduct banking and prepare taxes online. Teledentistry is proof the dental industry now embraces innovation, too.”
Teledentistry already has a proven track record to:
Improve the dental hygiene of patients
Visits to dental offices began to drop in 2003 and have remained on a steady decline. Using telehealth systems to connect providers with patients has become an important tool to conveniently improve the oral health of patients.
Be more affordable than in-office dentistry
Teledentistry has been shown to reduce the cost of care and increase efficiency through reduced travel times, shared professional staffing and fewer in-person appointments.
Be a more innovative solution for the mainstream healthcare industry
In 2013, 52% of hospitals utilized telehealth, and another 10 percent were beginning the process of implementing telehealth services.
Align with today’s patients’ needs for modern forms of communication
Recent studies on the use of telehealth services have shown that 70% of patients are comfortable communicating with their healthcare providers via text, email or video in lieu of seeing them in person, and 76% of patients prioritize access to care over the needs for face-to-face interactions with their healthcare providers. In fact, 30% of patients already use computers or mobile devices to check for medical or diagnostic information.
Improve access to care for patients
Approximately 20% of Americans live in rural areas where they do not have easy access to dentists and other medical services. Teledentistry eliminates the need to travel long distances and can help healthcare providers supplement clinician staffing in areas where they are understaffed. It also allows providers to expand their reach to patients beyond their own offices. Teledentistry has a unique capacity to increase providers’ services to millions of new patients.
Reduce the amount of time employees spend away from the office
Teledentistry options reduce the time taken by employees to see dental providers in person. In fact, though appointments can take hours out of an employee’s work day, only 17% (20 minutes) of that time is spent actually seeing the doctor.
Make in-office appointment times more available to patients needing urgent care
Provide the same level of care to patients as in-office visits
Research indicates the quality of care and success rates of patients were the same whether patients used telemedicine or not.
Keep growing
Utilization of telehealth services is projected to increase from 250,000 patients in 2013 to an estimated 3.2 million patients in 2018.
Now, add in the major shift caused by the 2020 pandemic lockdowns, and the predictions quoted in a recent report published in a MultiBrief Exclusive article just reinforce the concept of an increasingly widespread use – and acceptance – of telemedicine:
“According to a Doctor.com report on healthcare trends in 2020, telemedicine adoption increased by 33% over the previous year, and telemedicine funding is expected to reach $185.6 billion by 2026.
“COVID-19 has been a major catalyst for telemedicine adoption. In response to lockdowns and closures, clinicians adjusted their practices to offer treatment in a pandemic-safe manner, and many implemented telemedicine technology. This resulted in a sizable population of patients becoming familiar with telemedicine. In fact, Medical Economics found that 83% of patients expect to use telemedicine after the pandemic resolves.”
However, prior to stating the case working for (and against) teledentistry, the author also makes an astute observation, that “telemedicine adoption continues to lag behind other medical fields.” With the rapid development of electronic capabilities and specialized equipment, not to mention support software advancements (and a NOTABLE uptick in sales push of these programs specifically for dentists), there is a lot more to explore in this up-and-coming dental innovation. And, we can delve into this fascinating topic in future posts…but, without a doubt, the future of teledentistry IS here NOW!