October 4, 2022 · EZaccessMD Team
Removing Bricks and Mortar from Health Care Removes Health Care Costs
Just like every other industry during COVID-19, healthcare pivoted to virtual care. This movement also became the catalyst for discovering what telemedicine could really deliver.
Just like every other industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare pivoted to virtual care — away from brick-and-mortar facilities for the safety of their patients. While this movement toward virtual healthcare was born out of necessity, it also became the catalyst for both doctor and patient to experience the high level of care that could come through telemedicine.
The Cost of Bricks and Mortar
Every ER visit, every urgent care visit, every doctor's office visit carries the overhead of physical infrastructure: buildings, equipment, staffing, utilities, insurance. The average ER visit costs $4,066 — and a significant portion of that cost is facility overhead, not the actual medical care delivered.
Removing the Building, Keeping the Care
Mobile healthcare strips away facility overhead while maintaining — and in many cases improving — the quality of care. A portable X-ray machine in a mobile unit produces the same diagnostic-quality images as one in an ER, at a fraction of the cost.
For employers, this arithmetic is compelling: the same diagnostic capability, delivered to the patient's location, at dramatically lower cost. The building was never the point — the diagnosis was.