The 2019 Covid-19 pandemic showed how important the healthcare industry truly is. However, the global pandemic also shed light on aspects that the medical industry was lacking. Even after the height of the pandemic, the increasing demand for medical and healthcare services gave birth to digital or telemedicine.

Telemedicine is a recently introduced practice that leverages online and digital communication tools to seek and provide healthcare services to remote patients. And along with the birth of telemedicine comes the growing demand for virtual medical assistants. 

But what exactly is the role of medical virtual assistants in telemedicine and the highly digitalized healthcare industry? Here’s a quick run-through on the importance of med VAs to give you a better idea. 

 

Medical Virtual Assistants: Who Are They?

To get a better grasp on what medical virtual assistants do, let’s first identify who medical VAs are. Med VAs are employees working remotely who provide crucial support services to healthcare businesses and professionals.

Generally, doctors and medical professionals are expected to perform their duties as well as handle a significant amount of paperwork and administrative tasks. Thus, med VAs work to alleviate their workload. Medical virtual assistants can perform a wide variety of tasks, including data entry, medical records management, patient monitoring, and so on. 

Unlike the common misconception, med VAs don’t need to be licensed or registered healthcare providers themselves. While having some medical background is typically preferred, aspiring med VAs don’t need to have a medical degree or any related certifications.

But how do medical virtual assistants help people in the medical field and the industry itself?

 

Role of Medical VAs In The Online Healthcare Industry

Medical professionals, whether they’re physicians, nurses, dentists, or even veterinarians, are highly valuable staffs. They hold such unique and in-depth knowledge, training, and expertise that make them the few capable of doing their jobs. However, part of their workload is mundane and time-consuming tasks such as updating patient medical records.

Considering the demand for healthcare services, having doctors juggle both specialized and administrative responsibilities is not the most efficient and effective use of their valuable time. This is where medical virtual assistants come to play. 

Medical VAs are highly skilled individuals who can support healthcare providers in a variety of ways. With their help, the healthcare industry has become significantly more effective and efficient. 

But in what ways exactly? Here is an overview of some of the most common yet critical tasks and responsibilities of medical virtual assistants.

 

Telemedicine Support

Medical virtual assistants play a vital role in the success of telemedicine services. Telemedicine is the practice of providing healthcare consultations remotely using online communication tools. 

In this setup, it is the medical virtual assistant’s role to assist professionals with the use of the necessary programs and devices. Medical VAs also handle other tasks such as patient appointment scheduling, transcribing, and patient information organization.

 

Remote Patient Monitoring

One of the advantages of online healthcare is that it can continuously cater to and monitor patient conditions. Remote patient monitoring helps to maintain quality service and good patient outcomes.

Medical virtual assistants perform remote patient monitoring by checking on patients’ vital signs, ensuring prescription and medication adherence, and updating patient records throughout the duration of their recovery period. 

 

Virtual Health Coaching

Telemedicine is also used as a means to lead patients to a healthier lifestyle. Medical virtual assistants conduct virtual health coaching to encourage patients to continue their regime. 

Med VAs can perform consultations, guidance, and counseling on topics such as proper nutrition, exercise, as well as stress management. Doing this can encourage patients with their lifestyle changes by guiding and coaching them throughout their journey. 

 

Benefits of Hiring Medical Virtual Assistants

There’s no wonder why there is a growing demand for medical virtual assistants, given the roles and responsibilities of medical virtual assistants in the digital healthcare industry. But what other advantages can hiring med VAs bring to medical and health-related businesses?

 

Higher Efficiency

One of the primary benefits of hiring medical virtual assistants is that they can serve as an extra pair of hands to lighten employee workload and increase productivity. 

Medical virtual assistants can take on a variety of tasks ranging from administrative tasks to basic patient care services. 

When med VA takes over these responsibilities, medical professionals can focus on the more technical and specialized aspects of their work.

 

Prevent Burnout

In relation to higher productivity and efficiency, having virtual medical assistants in your team can also prevent medical professionals from feeling overworked and burnt out. With the help of virtual assistants, they no longer have to worry about paperwork. Instead, they can focus on caring for their patients. 

 

Improve Patient Experience

With digital healthcare services, patient experience can improve significantly with the help of medical virtual assistants. Not only because med VAs support and assist physicians, but they can also provide supplementary services even after a consultation. Medical virtual assistants can conduct remote consultations and patient monitoring that can help them feel more at ease and comfortable. 

Want to know more about medical virtual assistants? Sidekicks is an on-demand virtual company, and we’re eager to help visionaries and entrepreneurs like you. Get a free ebook and learn more about how we can help you by signing up for our newsletter. We also offer a free 30-minute consultation if you prefer something more personal.

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