With over 75% of surveyed patients now interested in telehealth, it’s safe to say virtual care is a trend that’s taking off. A recent study found a staggering 90% of healthcare executives are already in the process of planning or developing telemedicine programs for their organizations.
Many healthcare providers and smaller practices are equally interested, but haven’t jumped on-board yet. Doctors can see the value of adding telehealth services – higher patient satisfaction, better outcomes, another revenue stream – but aren’t always sure where to start.
And this opens a huge opportunity for any business or consultant working with healthcare providers right now: telehealth consulting.
Since telehealth is still a relatively new field to many providers, they’re looking for advice. What’s the best telehealth software out there for their specific use case and practice? How do they evaluate a telehealth vendor? How do they implement this new service into their practice? How do they get trained on the technology?
The industry needs more telehealth consultants on every level – from people who are highly-trained experts on the industry, to consultants who understand the value of telemedicine and know where to refer interested doctors.
So, how do you become a telehealth consultant?
Scout Out a Top Telehealth Partner Program
There aren’t many telehealth partner programs out there, but programs like eVisit do offer ways to ally with a telehealth company on a tiered system. Depending on how committed to telehealth you are, you might opt for a referral partnership, a certified consultant partnership, or even to become an integrated partner.
Evaluate the partner program and the benefits it offers. Will working with the telehealth company help you attract new clients? Will it add value for your existing client base? Will it help you gain an edge over your competitors? Will it help increase your revenue (through commissions and more clients)?
Consider how the telehealth company’s program will set you up for success. For instance, at eVisit we offer our partners a variety of free resources and trainings on telemedicine, such as a monthly content kit with blog posts, social media campaigns, guides, webinars and more to share with your clients. Partners also get the chance to be a featured speaker on our monthly webinar series and guest authors on our blog, with the standard advertising fee waived.
The bottom line is – a top telehealth partner program should give you the high-quality resources you need to become an expert on telehealth and convey those benefits to your clients.
Decide What Kind of Telehealth Consultant You Want to Be
Telehealth partner programs often have multiple tiers. Decide where you want to fit in and what your end goals are. Are you simply looking for an additional revenue stream from commissions and a way to bring extra value to your clients? A referral partnership may be the best fit for you.
Interested in becoming a trained telemedicine expert in your own right, capable of helping healthcare providers build their own telehealth programs? You may want to look into becoming a telemedicine certified partner.
Or, if you’re a healthcare software company actively looking to add a telehealth solution into your platform, you may even want to consider becoming an integrated partner – where telehealth becomes part of your own solution.
Think about your objectives for telehealth and ask the telehealth partner program director where you fit in.
