Telemedicine is Here to Stay
In 2021, 67% of emergency room visits would be avoidable through the use of virtual consultations. While many have called telemedicine and mobile healthcare “trends” in the past two years, these services have shown a steady increase in utilization since 2019 when only 7% of large healthcare organizations reported patient telemedicine utilizations.
As COVID and barriers to traditional healthcare continue to present challenges for patients and the medical industry, consultations done from the comfort of a patient's home will continue to grow in popularity. Furthermore, advancements in technology year after year will continue to change the way that quality care can be delivered.
So, what can we expect from healthcare in the upcoming year?
Healthcare Affordability and Convenience
While the medical industry has recently seen unprecedented challenges, one issue has remained constant – the steady rise of medical costs. In the last decade alone, family premiums for employer-based health insurance have increased by 47%, a troubling statistic in the midst of a volatile economy. It is likely that the cost of premiums for traditional employer healthcare plans will continue to rise in 2022.
Additionally, in-person medical care is more inconvenient than ever as patients experience longer wait times in overcrowded healthcare facilities. The new year will bring a greater reliance on alternative options like mobile care services that are less expensive and more convenient for basic healthcare needs.
Broader COVID Treatment Options
Surges and new variants of COVID have left people everywhere uncertain about their financial and physical access to reliable testing and treatment options. Thankfully, some solutions have already been enacted with free government supplied tests, masks, and a mandate for insurers to cover costs of rapid tests.
Starting in January 2022, the federal government announced an initiative to send four free at-home rapid tests to every residential household in the U.S. via the United States Postal Service. Additionally, the White House ruled insurers must now reimburse up to eight over-the-counter COVID tests per individual, per month. This means that Americans can head into the new year leaving behind the anxiety around test availability that plagued 2021.
Increase in At-Home Exams and Imaging
Medical appointments for X-rays or ultrasounds are more difficult to schedule than ever and are often considered to be a lower priority in facilities that are understaffed and over capacity. Additionally, those that are immunocompromised or more vulnerable may be less comfortable receiving care from healthcare facilities due to surges in COVID infections.
In 2022, at-home imaging will continue to prove itself a desirable service due to the comfort of receiving an injury diagnosis without the inconvenience of transport to a hospital. Patients that wish to protect their health in any way possible during the pandemic may also turn to at-home ultrasound options to avoid medical facilities.
EZaccessMD Remains One Step Ahead
With EZaccessMD, access to healthcare in 2022 will be made easier than ever at a significantly lower price. For only $1 per month, per employee, patients have access to a board-certified physician via phone 24/7, 365 days a year, with in-home exams and imaging available in less than a few hours if needed.
EZaccessMD will also continue to expand COVID treatment efforts in 2022, including offering on-demand access to counseling on treatment and best quarantine practices for patients that test positive. As always, we look forward to continuing to create safer environments for patients in need of healthcare by bringing diagnostics and imaging to the comfort of their own home.
As more trends emerge in the new year, EZaccessMD will remain on the cutting-edge of care. Our innovative mobile healthcare plan is always expanding, including services such as a personalized treatment plans, at-home X-rays and ultrasounds, virtual appointments with U.S. board-certified-physicians, prescriptions and much more. To learn more, call 855-313-8145 today.
EZaccessMD is the only mobile urgent care that offers diagnostic testing and imaging in the home or workplace. Not only are we revolutionizing the way employees get care, we’re making it affordable for them and their employers.
