During a pandemic, and the worst time possible, the United States faces a growing shortage of primary care physicians. However, a report from Merritt Hawkins, the US leading physician search firm, indicates a significant lack of medical specialists. The Review reveals the types of physicians that hospitals and healthcare facilities are seeking nationwide. It indicates that 78% of Merritt Hawkins' recruiting engagements were for specialists over the last year, up from 67% four years ago. Driving this demand is the aging patient demographic. Over 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day, and patients in this age group tend to visit a physician at approximately three times the rate of younger people. While senior citizens represent only 14% of the population, they account for 34% of all inpatient procedures and 37% of all diagnostic tests and treatments, It is specialists who care for cardiac, stroke, bones, and mental health of older patients, and more of them will be needed as the trend continues. This demographic does not consider young adult issues such as maternal-fetal medicine.

Gaining access to a specialist will become more and more difficult. Technology can be a saving grace in getting more specialists in front of and caring for more patients without risk of exposure and much higher efficiency. TeleRay is a company solving these issues in telehealth with a technology called TeleRay Live. This platform delivers face to face consultation while viewing the patient and imaging in real-time. It provides quality by utilizing peer to peer connections and high-speed cellular networks when bandwidth is low. Physicians may review real-time imaging that is taking place in the field, rural areas, and practices outside of their local area- or anywhere in the world! The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) acknowledged this fact in its most recent physician supply report, which projects a shortage of up to 67,000 specialists by 2032. The Review further suggests that the use of value-based physician payments is gaining momentum. Of those Merritt Hawkins clients offering physicians a production bonus last year, 56% were based in whole or in part on value-based metrics such as patient satisfaction and outcome measures, up from 43% the previous year.

Timothy Kelley, CEO of TeleRay, said, "doctors and specialists can use TeleRay Live in many situations." He explained that TeleRay Live could view modalities such as ultrasound in real-time from remote locations. He said, "Emergency responders, maternal-fetal medicine doctors, cardiologists, and more can view the patient, the modality, and speak to the sonographer or technologist to get results that matter." Ultrasounds can determine internal bleeding, injuries, and fractures miles away. 

TeleRay COO Steve Austin likes to talk about the platform's advantages, including the storage, sharing, and access to images after they are captured. "This gives immediate access with real-time tools to make a diagnosis from anywhere on any device." He continued, "Its prime time for a platform like this that combines telehealth with radiology, TeleRay is the only platform that offers real-time viewing of the modalities which can be critical in high-risk situations where a specialist can virtually look over the shoulder of the sonographer or technologist as if they're in the room to adjust, view, and consult."

The financial benefits to complete telehealth platforms are immense. Beyond the clinical and triage benefits, implementing a virtual care option can help offset the revenue decline due to reduced visits. Many professionals will be looking for technology to solve growing problems with access and care in 2021, and now there are solutions to manage the situation. The main issue is making sure the connection is high-quality speed and access to additional data and images. Good quality helps ensure better outcomes, which is the goal of all healthcare visits.

About TeleRay: TeleRay is a technology leader with the only telehealth radiology platform for the management and distribution of medical images and patient information. We offer the most secure platform for interactive consultation while viewing images, reports, while still seeing each other, including family members or specialists on a multi-person call. TeleRay is widely recognized as the most reliable and advanced platform on the market, with multiple filed patents at the best value. With more than 3000 users, along with 70% of the top 50 medical centers including Cleveland Clinic, Cedars-Sinai, Harvard, Cornell, Columbia, Northwestern, Shriners, Barnes-Jewish, Beth Israel, UPMC, UPENN, NY Presbyterian, and many more. TeleRay has been growing overseas and can be found in more than 20 countries. Join the fastest growing telehealth & image management family in the US.