Do Telemedicine & Online Pharmacies need Patient Age Verification?

Do Telemedicine & Online Pharmacies need Patient Age Verification?

The importance of healthcare providers heavily increases during the Covid-19 pandemic. All the eyes were on this sector and how it will provide services with social distancing. A physical checkup is very effective when it comes to better treatment. But it was not possible due to Covid-19 SOPs, it was essential to reduce physical interaction. 

Telemedicine on the Rise 

Online check ups over video calls or telemedicine prove to be a lifesaver in that time. Telemedicine means using the latest communicative means to give healthcare services without a physical meeting. There are medical apps and online prescriptions available in the market that are a part of telemedicine.

Prescription Over a Video Call

Now Verify Patient identity can meet their desired doctors using a video call medium. This service gained popularity during the pandemic lockdown. It was provided by state-owned hospitals and also by the private sector. A patient or his family member can arrange an online appointment with the doctor through a mobile app or website. He has the choice of doctor type and schedule. He can plan a date and time according to his ease and convenience.

The patient is linked with the doctor, the patient tells his condition, and the doctor analyzes it. Then the doctor prescribed some medicine and other things if needed to the patient. This is similar to the physical treatment but with zero interaction. Although the video calling method is not very effective, it still gave improved facilities in the outbreak. 

Future of Telemedicine

Now the lockdown restrictions are eased and the physical meetup is possible. But the video call prescription is not expected to terminate because the healthcare sector does not want to be outdated. All the industries are digitizing and transforming their ways with the latest technologies, so the medical industry is. It does not want to stay in the past, hence it will continue video call treatment in the future. 

Nutritionists can use this service because checking a patient physically is not mandatory. He just gives an exercise and food plan to a person which can be done over a video call. 

Increase in Online Pharmacies Orders

Online pharmacies are similar to the e-commerce industry where customers order their products through websites and get the delivery in the meantime. But there is a small difference, e-commerce can compromise on delivery time, but online pharmacies do not. The medicine or drug is to be delivered to the customer’s door in the minimum time (not more than a day). The reason is the customer may want the medicine for his night dose. Some e-commerce platforms are also providing the facility of selling medicines. 

Is There Any Need for Patient Age Verification?

Online platforms are never safe from scams and frauds. Digital channels have a more potential risk of crimes. Medical identity theft and data breaches are the most important crimes associated with the medical industry. The World Bank has issued concerns over medical records. 

Fraudsters steal patient records and then manipulate them to avail themselves of health benefits. Usually, they alter the name and address to claim health insurance and employee benefits. Some fraudulent attempts are initiated by patients themselves. They change their medical records and then use them for the above benefits. Modifying the date of birth to get early age benefits is another form of fraud in the medical industry. 

These can be controlled by know your patient, where he will be verified through his identity documents. The process is similar to KYC in the financial industry. The person just has to give the image of his ID documents to the verification software along with a live selfie. The document and selfie will undergo document verification and biometric authentication respectively. 

Wrapping It Up

Patient age verification will assist in the on-time delivery of prescribed medicines to the right customers. As they sell medicines that can harm if taken inappropriately, kids can order these products for fun. Age verification will keep kids miles away from prescribed-only drugs. Patient verification will help in reducing medical identity fraud in the telemedicine sector.

 

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