Last Updated on April 24, 2024
The use of telemedicine in the U.S. is continuing to grow every year. It’s becoming a favorite technique for a lot of doctors to interact with their patients without having them to come into the doctor’s office. But how does this use of telemedicine translate into managing your type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes health issues?
Telemedicine, the New Trend
As you can probably guess from the name, telemedicine is doctor’s and patients handling their medical situations and check-
ups using technology, instead of going to see them physically. A lot of doctors are conducting more telemedicine to keep costs lower and to give them the ability see interact with more patients.
Because of the advances in technology, telemedicine has drastically improved and is becoming a viable option for managing a lot of chronic diseases, like diabetes. This could be through email, text messages, video chat, or simply sending data back and forth. For anyone that has a health condition that requires monitoring and constant doctor visits, they understand the trouble and frustrating of having to go physically to the office all the time.
Managing Diabetes Remotely
With the rising costs of treating diabetes, telemedicine could be one of the solutions. Telemedicine could see a huge surge, especially among low-income patients that are diagnosed with diabetes. As more and more states create laws for private insurance companies to cover telemedicine, the diabetic community could see it as a primary tool for safely managing their diabetes from home.
For diabetes, telemedicine is a perfect fit. Patients can take the glucose levels (like they already do) and blood pressure levels and upload it to their doctor or send it through secure email. They can also relay information like exercise and diet that could impact glucose levels. They can share medication and treatment effectiveness over the phone and also discuss any diabetes complications or other health problems they’ve been experiencing. Are you having any problems with your feet? You can show your physician through video chat?
Does all of this sound like a normal visit to the doctor? That’s because it is. You can discuss all of the standard diabetes management topics without having to drive to the office and spend an hour in the waiting room.
The Benefits
As more and more private insurance companies start covering these technological, medical visits, more diabetics are going to be encouraged to use telemedicine instead of going to the doctor’s, but what are the advantages? Telemedicine has several benefits other than the obvious fact that it saves time.
Who doesn’t like a little extra cash in their pocket? This new technique of health care could save you some money. Your “visit” will be cheaper, and you’ll save money on the gas to drive to the doctor’s office. Depending on how health insurance companies adapt to telemedicine, a lot of your costs could be covered.
If you’re like most diabetics, you have a busy life. Between work, family, friends, and running errands, who has time to sit in a waiting room for an hour? Why not video chat with your doctor from your home or at work? You don’t have to disrupt your life to manage your diabetes safely.
Telemedicine – the Newest Trend
As health care continues to change with the advancement of technology, the way that we look at diabetes management is going to change with it. Hopefully, these changes will bring lower costs, lower A1Cs, and less time spent in the hospital.
