Doximity is about to kick off a new Telehealth Fellowship in November. This year-long program for medical professionals interested in technology and health care innovation arose from the knowledge that the best ideas come directly from clinicians.

Why telehealth? Although it was on the rise before the pandemic, COVID supercharged its use - pushing healthcare providers to adapt quickly to the urgent demand for healthcare solutions that adhered to social distancing and COVID restrictions. In June 2020, Doximity launched Doximity Video Dialer – a secure and straightforward video calling tool that allows physicians to conduct video calls with their patients straight from the Doximity app – and the tool clearly met a need! Physicians love it, and new features are sure to be crowd-pleasers for doctors and patients alike.  

Physicians say telemedicine has served as a vital lifeline for practices. It’s been called one of the most significant health innovations of the 21st century. The ability to conduct patient visits virtually is becoming a new standard for many specialties. Doximity researchers predict that up to $106 billion of current U.S. healthcare dollars could be spent on virtual care by 2023. 

Telehealth and telemedicine technology has introduced alternative ways to deliver healthcare, but they’ve also created new healthcare recruiting and retention opportunities. What does that mean for recruiters? You’re likely recruiting physicians for telehealth opportunities, or your candidates are asking about them. Here are 7 insights to help you understand the power of telehealth in reshaping healthcare, as well as a few ways to help you differentiate candidates for these roles – and make you a competitive employer and recruiter. 

1. Telehealth allows for increased preventive healthcare for patients, ensuring minor issues don’t become more significant health problems. Telehealth enables physicians to monitor patients with wearable devices that track data in real-time or remind patients to take medications.
2. Telehealth can decrease the cost of health care because it harnesses technology to redesign the way health care is delivered. Among other benefits, telehealth reduces waste in materials and cleaning. It allows greater access to specialist care, and hospitals and clinics are more productive because doctors spend less time on patients, and there are fewer administrative tasks. It also reduces the cost of hospital readmissions (per OX Digital Health).
3. The CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act, which was passed in March 2020, is a bill that included a $200 million program to fund telehealth programs. It also loosened restrictions on services, waived fees, and allowed more providers to offer remote care. 
4. Many medical school programs are now training doctors on telehealth and technology, so top candidates coming from training will look for these options in potential job opportunities.
5. “Digital readiness”, or the ability to adapt to new technology, is key to finding great candidates. If you’re offering telehealth-specific positions, it’s still important to have a solid onboarding and training process in place.
6. Telehealth can be an essential part of your offerings for candidates looking for more flexibility and productivity.
7. Offering telehealth opportunities shows you have the well-being of doctors in mind because telemedicine can also help relieve physician burnout. Among other things, it allows doctors to focus more on patient care and makes schedules more manageable.

The adoption of telemedicine by physicians and patients continues to rise due to clear benefits: it’s easier to use, provides more flexibility, and offers a lower cost of care. For candidates who want to leverage their professional strengths and clinical experience to help shape the ongoing future of healthcare, telemedicine is a great place to start.

If you’re looking for new ways to recruit physicians, the holiday season is almost here, and we’ve got some tips to be productive and efficient with your recruitment in November and December. We invite you to join a special webinar on November 9^th: 5 Ways to Recruit Physicians During the Holidays.