Tesla & Telemedicine: Revolutionizing Industries For Global Good

Although Tesla and Telemedicine may seem like complete opposites at first glance, they’re both working to make the world a more equal, healthy place. Telemedicine has revolutionized the healthcare industry. Instead of making a trip to your doctor or the hospital for a diagnosis, telemedicine and remote diagnostic technology can provide access to healthcare from anywhere. Similar to how telemedicine is restructuring the healthcare sector, Tesla restructured the automotive sector, changing the way we see transportation. Read on to explore the similarities between the rise of telemedicine, the rise of electric vehicles, and their impacts on our future.

Similarities Between Tesla and Telemedicine:

• Adaptation
• Traction
• Access
• Diagnosis
• Timely Treatment
• Improved Quality
• Lower Cost
• Infrastructure
• Environmentally Friendly
• Future

Slow Adaptation

Both telemedicine and Telsa took time to gain widespread use and acceptance. Telemedicine isn’t a new concept. In fact, telemedicine was first idealized over one hundred years ago. Like all new things, it took time for the telemedicine trend to catch on. Patients and providers were concerned about the reliability and longevity of telemedicine. Similarly, when Tesla has first launched eighteen years ago, people were skeptical about the practicality of electric vehicles.

Gaining Traction

COVID-19 related lockdowns, quarantine, and isolation, paved the way for telemedicine to become widely accepted and a valuable asset to our new way of life. In the last decade, telemedicine was primarily limited to high-cost hospital programs or urgent care visits. Since the pandemic, patients and providers have embraced technology to expedite and improve care. Tesla was also initially limited to offering high-priced Model S and Model X before moving on to more affordable options like the Model 3 and Model Y. Now Tesla delivers more cars in the US than Lexus, Volkswagen, and Mercedes.

Improved Access

Convenience has been a driving force in both sectors. Telemedicine has made it easy for patients to conduct virtual visit (including physical exams) from the comfort of their homes. While patients may have enjoyed connecting with their provider in person, they never look forward to sitting in the waiting room, driving an hour to the appointment, or paying to park. In the same vein, Tesla has prioritized convenience, making it simpler for customers to purchase their car and obtain maintenance support from wherever they are simply using their phones.

Diagnosis

Data collection and the flow of information over distances are fundamental to each industry. Initially, patients and providers weren’t confident that telemedicine would be able to manage complex medical cases. Previously, there were situations where you had to see a provider in-person to get adequate medical care. Like telemedicine, potential Tesla customers were unsure of the effectiveness of Tesla’s remote support. Whether with healthcare or automotive, diagnosis is a combined art. Medical diagnosis is the result of a thorough interview, review of medical/family history, labs, imagining, notes from other providers, and a physical exam. Before laying hands on the patient, a provider ideally has two to three differential diagnoses.

With telemedicine, you can obtain information remotely. Things like checking the patient’s heart rhythm and examining their ears, nose, and throat are now available to providers and patients regardless of the distance between them. Like telemedicine, Tesla does almost all of their diagnostic work through their app or over the phone, and they provide several different diagnostic differentials before touching the car.

Timely Treatment

Telemedicine has made waiting weeks to see a primary care physician or specialist a thing of the past. Now, you can hop on an urgent care visit to see a provider or specialist in minutes. This makes treatment more accessible for everyone and affords a level of care often barricaded by financial standing. Tesla also chooses to be efficient with time and resources by running a software patch directly to your vehicle if problems arise, or by sending a mobile team to your driveway. Both lend merit to the convenience of remote diagnostics.

Improved Quality

Improved access to health care through telemedicine has translated into informed patients that use the healthcare system proactively instead of only in emergency cases. This leads to healthier people, and over time, a healthier total population. Similarly, Tesla has one of the highest-rated safety systems in the automotive industry. Not to mention significantly fewer mechanical issues when compared to traditional combustion engines.

Lower Cost

In the beginning, telemedicine programs and early Tesla models were expensive. With the advancements in technology, both have become accessible to the masses. Along with this price drop, the potential for long-term, lower-cost healthcare and transportation sectors become a definite possibility in our future.

Infrastructure

Quality telemedicine providers are able to reach people all over America, addressing the healthcare inequality in our country. Unfortunately, things like state by state medical licenses are a limiting factor to this success. Programs like the VA System do a fantastic job at mitigating these limits by giving providers access to all of its facilities throughout the US, as long as a medical license is in place for the provider’s primary place of work. Reimbursement for telemedicine is also improving and gaining more traction.

Congruently, Tesla initially had limitations on growth because of vehicle costs and the reluctance around purchasing electric vehicles due to the lack of charging infrastructure. But with expanding tax credits, supercharger stations, and local electric vehicle chargers, Tesla has made exponential progress as the leading electric car manufacturer in the world.  

Environmentally Friendly

Tesla has crowned the need for renewable energy resources at the center of the brand. Since they have gained traction, they have replaced over 1.91 million combustion engines with electric vehicles. At the same time, they have avoided five million metric tons of CO2e emission with their eclectic cars alone. Telemedicine is also reducing CO2 emissions. Since telemedicine reduces the number of fossil fuels needed to receive healthcare, it’s making a positive impact on our environment. No longer are patients driving to the doctor, sitting in traffic, or polluting the atmosphere in the name of healthcare.

Future

Telemedicine and Tesla have worked to change the landscape of two of the industries we rely on most. The future of telemedicine and electric vehicles in America is bright. As the trend towards remote healthcare continues to grow, more people will have access to quality healthcare they can afford, providing a healthier, happier population. With Tesla’s continuous growth and impact on our environment, a future filled with electric vehicles, remote maintenance, and cleaner air is right around the corner. Although Tesla and Telemedicine may seem like complete opposites at first glance, they’re both working to make the world a more equal, healthy place.

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