Fred C Church

Telehealth technology can lower care costs and improve convenience and efficiency, and some employers hope it may help to reduce the number of unproductive workdays and unnecessary sick days that drag down productivity.

Secure communication by text, audio chat and webcams can allow individuals to access care from home, Employee BenefitNews notes. Consumers may have headaches, strep throat, rashes and other medical problems seen to through telehealth. Technology allows them to contact physicians at any time, and the professional can then determine whether meeting in person is necessary.

For employers, the technology makes it possible to give a workforce access to care even if they are not all in the same place. Walgreens executives told the news source that it was able to improve employee engagement in healthcare, save in productivity and possibly reduce claim costs by as much as 14 percent.

The advantages may be greater for larger employers. When considering insurance for educational institutions, for example, those with more employees and multiple campuses could benefit the most from telehealth. While the benefits are many, using this technology may increase the risk of employee health data vulnerability to cyber attacks, possibly something to consult with a certified risk manager about.