Tag Archives: telehealth

While telehealth has always existed, this is much like saying that Zoom always existed. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, providers have ramped up the availability of telehealth to an extent far more significant than before. For that matter, many people have gotten their first experience with receiving medical care from home. While some may feel skeptical about it, people should be excited. If you have a chronic pain condition such as arthritis, telehealth can significantly benefit your health and wellness.

What is Telehealth?

Telehealth is a set of medical services that revolve around phone calls and other forms of remote communication, such as video calls. While telehealth cannot replace the traditional doctor’s visit for those with arthritis, it has a great deal to offer people with arthritis.

Benefits of Telehealth for Arthritis

There are many occasions where telehealth can be helpful for people who have arthritis. Some of the situations where it’s a good choice include, but are not limited to;

• You’re experiencing a severe episode of pain that makes travel difficult
• A quick checkup before deciding whether or not to visit the doctor in person, saving time and money
• Followup check-ins to assess how you’re doing in the days or weeks following an appointment
• Keeping in close contact with your doctor when frequent visits aren’t practical

But even more than these benefits, the original reason for the rise of telehealth may be the most important right now. When people can receive medical care from the comfort and safety of the home, it reduces the risks of virus exposure to the doctor, patient, and other patients.

While telehealth may seem like something strange to adapt to, it has the potential to help reduce the spread of COVID while improving the quality of life for those with chronic pain.

The pandemic has introduced a majority of the public to remote versions of their everyday tasks. School is online, work is done in the home office, and doctor’s appointments are phone calls or video meetings. If you’re one of the thousands of people that have embraced this new remote life, you may have trouble sustaining it with your doctor.

Loss of Accommodations

Telehealth was once just an idea with few groups fitting into the category of “Telehealth is better than in-person appointments for this patient.” As such, telehealth visits saw lower reimbursement amounts from claims. This was changed when the pandemic started, and telehealth received the same treatment as physical visits regarding coverage.

Another pain point for patients and doctors alike is privacy concerns. This isn’t unique to the medical field; financial institutions and research facilities have all had to adjust the strictness of data collection. Telehealth is only as secure as the connection between each screen and the environment you’re in during the session. 

Where Telehealth May Remain the Standard

 you may be wondering if it will still be available even at a slightly higher cost. The answer is a resounding “most likely.” Many mental health patients have found telehealth is better for visits as it can reduce anxiety being in a comfortable space.

Consultations are another area that fits well into telehealth. The non-physical symptom can be described to the doctor, and with some probing questions, an initial idea of the problem can be formed. This lets the doctor determine if an in-person appointment is necessary for the examination. If not, a prescription can be filled, or you may have a quick stop at a clinic for testing instead of a complete doctor visit.

In any case, telehealth isn’t going anywhere, As time goes on, telehealth visits will continue to improve and virtual health visits will be the norm. 

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive brain disorder requiring continuous therapy. Dead brain nerve cells cause a drop in dopamine production, leading to PD. This neurotransmitter regulates movement and attention in the body.

Clinicians rely on medication, occupational, and physical therapy in PD management. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it became difficult to provide healthcare to patients without exposure to the virus. Thanks to the telehealth services, PD is now manageable with minimal risk of the pandemic.

Neurologists and other specialists can safely schedule regular check-ups, examine any new symptoms, and review medication side effects, refills, and other complications.

Advantages of Telehealth

Telehealth has helped clinicians for many years to reach and care for more patients reducing the rate of deterioration.

Here are some expected benefits of telemedicine:

Safety

PD impairs mobility making it difficult for patients to drive or even walk. With telehealth, caregivers can provide homebound services. This eliminates the need for constant physical movement and related risks for patients.

Satisfaction

Many PD patients have shown high satisfaction levels with telemedicine. In turn, it improves trust in medical guidance.

Comfort

The reduction in regular movements helps patients receive health care from the comfort of their homes.

When considering telehealth, first contact your insurance company for coverage verification, then check if your healthcare provider has telehealth care.

Telehealth is seeing more and more use. However, it still needs to be precisely what it can and cannot be used for, as shown by the debates about allowing eye care use. Currently, around 30 states allow this to some extent. In contrast, several others have banned it. The Michigan Legislature is one of the latest to examine the issue.

For those who are curious, the Michigan Legislature is minimally examining the issue. The proposal is to let contact lens users get eye exams conducted via telehealth. However, there are precautions built into the proposal to limit potential problems. For example, people need a prescription from an eye doctor before getting any eye care via telehealth. Similarly, people need an in-person eye exam if their telehealth eye exam says their prescription has changed. Effectively, this means that the proposal is intended for just contact lens users seeking a renewal while their prescription hasn’t changed.

Both the arguments for this proposal and the arguments against this proposal are very similar to those voiced in other debates on the issue. Generally speaking, people support telehealth for eye care because they believe it will lead to better health outcomes. This is because people will have an easier time accessing such services, thus increasing people’s chances of using them regularly. Something significant because catching potential problems early makes it much easier to treat them. Furthermore, telehealth tends to lower the cost of such services, which has a similar effect.
Meanwhile, people oppose telehealth for eye care because such services aren’t as good as their in-person counterparts.

For instance, an eye exam conducted via telehealth can reveal the prescription, but it can’t examine the eye for the signs of severe eye problems that can lead to blindness or worse. There is a possibility patients may decide to go for eye exams via telehealth because of their increased convenience while skipping out on in-person eye exams to cover this other critical aspect of eye care.

The worldwide pandemic has led to the dawn of a new kind of medical care in treating common health issues. Known as telehealth, this new type of medical care is done online. Doctors and patients meet virtually through a portal to chat by video regarding symptoms.

Routine virtual health checkups have many advantages for those with high LDL levels. There are many pros, including access to educational materials designed for making better lifestyle choices. You can openly discuss options with your doctor during an online session. And the odds are excellent that you can have a handy list of all medications and supplements convenient.

Telehealth enables you to schedule an appointment in a much shorter amount of time without the hassle of commuting. You won’t need to worry about long wait times in a crowded lobby and can get service right away.

 You can check in with your physician and receive feedback on lowering your LDL level. Discussing better treatment options through video or online chat will be more detailed. The focus is more on you and your needs.

Doctors have good reason to celebrate the use of telehealth. They can look forward to the idea of offering insight into making lifestyle changes in diet, exercise, and weight loss. Plus, they can have a conversation on medication and make adjustments to it as needed.

Hearing a patient’s concern about the effectiveness of high cholesterol prescriptions is key to making tweaks in the dosage. Plus, a more thorough assessment of any recent blood work can be caused due to less time pressure.

Your doctor or clinic may have access to the latest technology in measuring your cholesterol levels. Or they may recommend certain apps that record data on your exercise levels and track your calories. Telehealth may be the most affordable checkup out there.

Telehealth works very well when done in combination with an office visit. You can discuss vitals, lab results, and other issues. You’ll have your virtual visit right at home. And with more people choosing to remain healthy in place, virtual medicine is the wave of the future.

There is no denying the effect of COVID-19 on the world. It has changed how we do the most fundamental things, such as shopping, going to school or work, dining out, and medical appointments. One of the most significant emerging medical practices since the beginning of the pandemic has been telehealth. For some branches of medicine, this is relatively simple. Psychologists, for example, can quickly turn what would have been an office visit into a telehealth appointment via phone or computer. But for hematologists, making the switch was not without difficulties.

However, telehealth has provided the best way to avoid possible exposure to COVID-19. After adapting their practices to allow for video-based services to limit patient exposure to the pandemic, hematologists began to see improved patient satisfaction numbers. There are still some significant obstacles to providing everyone with telehealth services. One of the biggest is the lack of communication available for patients living in an area with little or no wi-fi signal. Another is the hesitancy of some patients to become involved with these appointments due to fears of HIPPA rights being violated.

So, where do hematologists go from here? Though things have improved for many patients, there is still work to be done regarding some at-risk groups, such as the elderly, those without proper insurance, and those with little income. Many patients have had their fears assuaged regarding HIPPA procedures after months of successful telehealth appointments. Telehealth is much more likely to expand following the pandemic, adding even more services for patients.

Patients have even begun embracing their telehealth appointments. They are incredibly convenient. You answer the phone or sign on to speak to your doctor instead of having to drop everything for a face-to-face visit. Your appointment will take less time than a regular visit, leaving more time to enjoy. As time passes, hematologists will likely continue to utilize telehealth technology and incorporate more tasks into non-contact visits. Telehealth holds rewards for everyone, from the physician to the patient, allowing proper treatment without face-to-face contact.