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Update! New Tools For Electronic Visits.
ConnectHealth
21 Nov 2020, Update 02 Jan 2021
Along with the rest of us, medical offices, hospitals, and clinics must also adapt to the circumstances COVID-19 has put us in.
As medical offices continue to adjust to limit in-person contact and create a safe space for their patients, tons of useful tools have become available. Some things you might start seeing at your medical offices are online databases, electronic appointment set-ups, tele-visits, or direct chat options so you can contact your doctor at any time.
What Can You Do?
If you have to attend a visit in person, make sure to follow social distancing practices and bring your mask! Check the guidelines posted by your doctor because they may require that you get tested before attending a visit in person. Always feel free to as your doctor what practices they have in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and what guidelines they have to protect their patients.
It began with the need to address several concerns: providing high-quality care, keeping up with the updates on the virus, reducing patient exposure, and minimizing the hospital staff's exposure to the virus.
This is where telehealth and telemedicine services offered a solution. They allowed for online participation and communication through resources and services, that eliminated the need for a physician to physically be there. Limiting the need for doctors and other specialists to be in the constantly exposed to the virus.
As the cases increased, the need for the expansion of telehealth increased in order for hospital facilities to reach the patients at high risk of contracting the virus. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has also recommended the use of telemedicine to direct patients to the right resources during this pandemic.
Patients concerned about the Coronavirus can dial a hotline for a screening with a nurse who will refer them to a video consultation with an infectious disease specialist if they need further evaluation. Further investments are being made in an online chatbot that screens patients who are worried about COVID-19 and provides the next steps to follow such as a tele-visit or in-person visit depending on the severity of their symptoms.
Overall, the need for the presence of online medical care has been vital to our lives in these times and will continue to be a needed practice.
Lucky for all of the medical offices out there, ConnectHealth offers easy-to-use and efficient services to make medical care during these times easier!
Citation:
Cohen, Jessica Kim. “New Telemedicine Strategies Help Hospitals Address COVID-19.” Modern Healthcare, 6 Mar. 2020, www.modernhealthcare.com/patients/new-telemedicine-strategies-help-hospitals-address-covid-19.