Healthcare’s future has arrived in the form of Telemedicine. Don’t you wish your doctor could just come to your house and see you? Well, your wish has been granted because Telemedicine services allow you to communicate with your doctor from the comfort of your own home using any video-enabled technology such as Zoom or Skype.
When compared to in-person visits, which cost around $120 per visit, telehealth sessions can save you $141 every visit. Not only that, but simply for a visit to your doctor’s office, you’ll save $156 in travel costs and 9 years of journey time.
How Does Telemedicine Work?
Telemedicine has made getting treatment easier than before. Now patients have 24/7 access to their doctors and get well from their homes. Telemedicine is used for treating substance abuse. Here are some f the commonly used options:
Computerized Screens and Assessments: A healthcare provider can conduct tests and assessments over the internet in real time. Patients can also conduct online surveys, which are then reviewed by a professional.
Telephone-Based Recovery Support: Rather than meeting in person, support groups gather over the phone and the internet to encourage peers in recovery.
Telehealth Therapy: Appointments with a competent therapist over the phone or over the internet assist identify and resolve difficulties that are threatening a person’s recovery.
How To Prepare For A Telehealth Visit?
Telehealth allows you to communicate with a healthcare practitioner from the convenience of your own home or office. Appointments are frequently available sooner than waiting in a waiting room. It’s also a less expensive alternative to urgent care or emergency services. After booking a time slot that meets your demands, you will receive an email from the clinic. The details and process for accessing your telehealth appointment will be mentioned clearly. Here is how you prepare for your meeting with a virtual doctor:
- You can use either your laptop or your phone to connect with the doctor. Just keep your device charged to avoid any interruptions.
- Choose a quiet and secluded corner in your home or office so you can speak freely with your doctor, without worrying about anyone.
- Make a list of things to discuss with your doctor, before the meeting starts. So you can cover everything in the given time slot.
- Before the call starts, pile all your important information in a stack near you, so you can produce the prescription quickly if the doctor wants to see it.
- Keep a pen and paper handy to note down points during the call.
- Don’t forget to ask if the clinic covers your insurance plan, you don’t want to be taken by surprise.
What To Expect From A Telemedicine Addiction Recovery?
According to research, it was decided that almost 46% of people found telemedicine counseling to be just as effective as in-person counseling. That said, there is not much difference between getting telemedicine addiction recovery vs traditional inpatient addiction recovery. The following addiction treatments are provided during telemedicine addiction treatment:
- Telemedicine Outpatient Addiction Rehab
Treatment for addiction costs $560 billion a year in the United States, and insurance companies are unwilling to cover inpatient addiction treatment since there is no standardization of what success and relapse look like. Telemedicine has solved this problem by giving patients an option to receive adequate addiction treatment while staying at home. With telemedicine addiction treatment programs the patients are not required to visit the facility every day. An outpatient telemedicine rehab includes:
- drug and alcohol rehabilitation
- psychiatry sessions
- psychoeducational and
- therapy groups
- case management
- family sessions
- Telemedicine Addiction Therapies
During telemedicine addiction counseling, a licensed professional offers effective individual, and group treatment, and therapy services. The therapies and counseling sessions are designed to provide the convenience, flexibility, and security you deserve. Telemedicine addiction counseling can be part of your journey toward lasting recovery. Some of the addiction therapies offered are:
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Program
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program
- Group Therapy Program
- Individual Therapy Program
- Dual Diagnosis Treatment Program
Most of the time people dealing with addictions, also form some kind of mental disorder or vice versa. It is important to deal with both addiction and mental disorders that can cause addictions. Therefore, dual diagnosis is a specialist treatment program that addresses both substance abuse and mental health issues.
However, most mental health issues go untreated since healthcare providers are frequently more focused on addiction therapy and ignore mental health treatment. A dual diagnosis program aims to deal with the following:
- Alcoholism
- Substance Abuse
- Bipolar disorder
- Panic Attacks
- PTSD
- Depression
- Anxiety
- At-home Drug Testing Services
When patients choose telemedicine they worry about how they will be performing the drug tests. Well, the solution to that is at-home drug testing. Telemedicine addiction treatment lets you perform drug tests right from your home. You will get accurate results, make sure to follow your doctor’s instructions.
Here is how you conduct an at-home drug test:
- On the day of your planned drug test, your healthcare provider will virtually walk you through the process of administering the test. You’ll use a video conferencing tool like Zoom or another video platform, with a staff member on the other end of the line watching the sample collection in real-time.
- When the conference begins, open the envelope containing the drug test kit.
- Rub the swab or collection stick inside the mouth in a circular motion for 10 to 15 seconds.
- Place the collecting stick on a level surface and replace the cap.
- Place the findings on the collecting stick and wait for them to materialize.
- You will be asked to put the stick back in the bag and mail it to the lab for further evaluation.
- Aftercare Program
Even after a patient has received addiction treatment, they will continue to receive care through an aftercare program. An aftercare program makes sure you stick to the sober life and don’t fall into bad habits again. An aftercare program provides 24/7 virtual support to anyone who successfully completed the addiction treatment program. The telemedicine aftercare program makes sure that a patient does not relapse or suffer withdrawal symptoms.
Aim Of Telemedicine Addiction Treatment
When telemedicine was first introduced everyone was a little suspicious but now it has made its mark in the medical industry. Telemedicine showed that addiction treatment can be availed online and patients can fully get treated, without any hassle. Telemedicine addiction treatment aims to provide a flexible addiction treatment plan to all patients. The main aim of these programs are:
- Preventing future relapses
- Manage cravings
- Anger management
- Introduce coping mechanisms
Benefits of Telemedicine Addiction Treatment
One of the main reasons people seek out online rehab programs is the convenience of receiving addiction treatment via telehealth. People can seek care from the comfort of their own homes now. In more serious cases of addiction or withdrawal, where medical supervision is required, telehealth may not be acceptable.
But other than that you can use telemedicine addiction programs to seek help. There are numerous benefits of telemedicine. Some of the most prominent benefits of telemedicine addiction treatment are:
- Convenient: The appointments are easy to get and convenient to attend. Telemedicine has eliminated the need to travel miles just for a simple appointment. Now you can receive a simple call on your laptop and start your addiction treatment.
- Cost: Telemedicine Clinic is a budget-friendly option when it comes to receiving addiction treatment. A simple telemedicine treatment costs almost half the amount an in-person visit costs.
- Flexible: Telemedicine provides a flexible form of treatment. There is no need to clear your whole day just because you have a doctor’s appointment. With telemedicine, you can simply log into your computer at the selected time and talk with your doctor without any hassle.
- Availability: Anyone can access addiction treatment using telemedicine. It has made life easier for people who are living far away from the clinics or in rural communities. Now all you need is a video-enabled device and a stable internet connection and you will be able to connect with an addiction specialist.
- Secure: If you are worried about your private data or information leaking out, don’t! Telemedicine is one of the most secure ways to store confidential data.
In A Nutshell…
We live in a virtual world these days and it’s important addiction treatment providers also embrace the technology. Telemedicine is a huge step in the field of medical science. Not only, it has made getting addiction treatment easier, but it has also made it easier to seek treatment.
No matter where you live and what you do, with telemedicine, you can get the addiction treatment you deserve. The success rate of telemedicine addiction recovery is also good.
People who received telemedicine addiction treatment tend to stay sober for at least a year. If you or a loved one is suffering from addiction and are delaying addiction treatment because there are no clinics in your vicinity. Then contact ChoicePoint in New Jersey as it is a Telehealth urgent care clinic that provides FDA-approved MAT addiction treatment to all.
