Telehealth has become a household tool for many Americans, with about 25 percent of patients routinely using it in 2022, according to a report from the American Medical Association.
Brighton Ncube, senior vice president of physician practices and ambulatory care at Kingman (Ariz.) Regional Medical Center, connected with Becker's to discuss the healthcare disruptors he is excited about, from telehealth to remote patient monitoring.
Note: This response has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Brighton Ncube: Telehealth has been revolutionary in terms of improving the delivery of care, especially in remote areas. We are now able to do virtual visits with patients and that increases access. The number one problem in healthcare is access to care. So using technology now we are able to say, "Oh, you don't have to drive all the way [here], you can connect with your provider via telehealth platform." And if there is a need for medication, the provider can do e-prescribe, you can go and pick up the medication at your local pharmacy.
Those disruptions are really positive for the patient and also cost-cutting. Think of the fuel that person was going to use to come to the clinic, think of the time factor. Maybe they have to take off work, and some organizations don't pay you if you take off work. So those are some of the things, I think, are both beneficial to the health system and also to the patients themselves. The patients can be seen from the comfort of their homes or even when they take a lunch break at work, then they connect with their provider. [Telehealth] is convenient and increases access. Also with telehealth, it's broad. We can send secure texts, secure emails. Then also we can do e-consults like a primary care physician or e-consulting a specialist in real time.
Then we can do remote patient monitoring. Say we implant a pacemaker on a patient, then we can monitor remotely how that pacemaker is functioning, whether the battery is low or things like that. Those are really great innovations. Then you can monitor blood pressure and a couple of more chronic conditions through remote patient monitoring.