Virtual ERs is a telemedicine company located in Houston, Texas. It is housed in a licensed free standing emergency department. The department’s infrastructure is built to support high grade telemedicine interactions. All calls received are then handled by 24 hr/ 7 day a week experienced emergency medicine staff. It maintains 7 telepods all capable of handling calls simultaneously.
Increasing complexity and more barriers to healthcare access
Higher deductibles and rising premiums
Less capable and qualified telemedicine companies
Skyrocking healthcare costs
The number of qualified primary care providers declining
Safe, reliable, convenient and fast
Qualiafied American trained acute care emergency/urgent care specialists
A fraction of a what it traditional face to face visits cost
Internet videoconferencing through a secure reliable private internet connection
Doctors and hospitals with telemedicine programs have already seen the potential ROI and general healthcare cost savings.
The Geisinger Health Plan study showed that a telemedicine program generated 11% in cost savings during the study period, which was an estimated return on investment of about $3.30 in cost savings for every $1 on telemedicine program implementation.
These benefits can be particularly pronounced for doctors and hospitals in remote areas serving rural patients.
A University of California, Davis study found that when patients used pediatric telemedicine consultations, rural emergency departments saved money compared to telephone consultations—an average of $4,662 per use.
In the UC Davis study, telemedicine consultations decreased the number of patients being transferred to other hospitals by 31%, which represented significant savings for hospitals, particularly on expensive air ambulance transfers.
Another major financial benefit is the cost savings from reduced hospitalizations. In a study of nursing homes that implemented telemedicine services to provide after-hours care to residents, the nursing homes that employed telemedicine saw hospitalization rates decline between 9.7% and 11.3% for the facilities most engaged with telemedicine services.
In another study, after telemedicine services were employed by the Veterans Health Administration post-cardiac arrest care program, hospital readmissions decreased by 51% for heart failure and 44% for other illnesses.
These are significant decreases in costly hospital readmissions, which can save a considerable amount of money over time.
More people are using smartphones and video chat than ever before.
The number of video callers will surpass an estimated 380 million this year, up significantly from 63 million in 2010.
More than 85% of the U.S. population has Internet access, or nearly 280 million people, as of 2014.
Nearly two-thirds (64%) of American adults own a smartphone, as of October 2014.
About 42% of American adults own a tablet computer, as of January 2014.
About 30% of patients already use computers or mobile devices to check for medical or diagnostic information.
Nearly two-thirds (64%) of AmericaNearly half of healthcare professionals plan to integrate mobile apps into their practices in the next five years. n adults own a smartphone, as of October 2014.
Cost is so much lower
Easy
Save time and money on travel to the appointment (especially rural patients)
Speaking to a doctor from the comfort of their own home
Shorter or no wait times
Convenient, on-demand care
Can encourage them to be more involved with treatment decisions
Greater access from anywhere, even when on vacation
Nearly 75% of patients are comfortable communicating with their doctors using technology instead of seeing them in person,16 and about the same number say they would use telehealth services.17 That’s a huge percentage of the patient population that’s waiting for their doctors to offer the accessibility and convenience of telemedicine. Here are a few other statistics concerning patients’ attitudes toward telemedicine.
About 76% of patients prioritize access to care over their need for an in person interaction with their healthcare providers.10
Only 16% of patients would choose to go to the emergency room for a minor ailment if they also had access to telemedicine services.18
A study of 8,000 patients who used telemedicine services found no deference between the virtual appointment and an in-person office visit.3
More than two-thirds of patients said that using telemedicine somewhat or significantly increases their satisfaction with medical care.18
The number of patients using telemedicine services is projected to be 7 million in 2018. That’s compared to less than 350,000 in 2013.
The global telemedicine technologies market is predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 18.4% from 2014 to 2020.4
In addition to the 22% of employers with 1,000 employees or more who offer telemedicine services to their employees, another 37% of employers plan to offer telemedicine services by the end of 2015.26
NorthstarDoc is managed by Northstar PCP Network, Inc. 2302 Fannin, Ste. #410, Houston, Texas 77002. For questions about the website or one of the providers you may contact us by telephone at toll free (855) 568-5629.
© Copyright 2025 by NorthstarDoc. All Rights Reserved.
