Health care providers utilize teleservices during pandemic
Telemedicine and telehealth are tools many health care facilities are utilizing to provide patients an extra source of comfort when they prefer to socially distance themselves as much as possible during the pandemic.
Although the two terms tend to be used interchangeably, telemedicine typically refers to remote clinical services and telehealth typically refers to remote nonclinical services. Both entail a care visit for a patient via telephone or video with the provider.
National Park Medical Center Communications Director Mandy Golleher said the increased use of these teleservices does not mean the facilities aren’t safe, they are merely to make patients feel more comfortable.
“If they’re not comfortable getting out and about, it helps to follow that social distancing even more closely;
that’s where the telehealth really comes into play,” Golleher said.
Kelly Keys, NPMC executive market director of physician services, said these teleservices are a unique opportunity for patients to receive the best care possible when that care is not available directly with the physician. She noted these teleservices may not be enough, though, when enduring an emergency or a COVID-19 infection suspicion.
“Many times, the virtual visit can become like a triage tool that helps us to direct the patient in a particular course of action like they need to come into the office, they need to come into an urgent care center, they should go to an emergency room, or they need some extra testing from a radiology or lab standpoint,” Keys said.
These teleservices are a patient-driven visit that provides a partnership between the patient and physician on what can and can’t be provided via that visit, she said.
“It’s not a new idea; telemedicine has actually been around since the 1960s, with the monitoring of astronauts, so this has kind of been one of those opportunities that presented itself due to the pandemic as an opportunity for a health care professional to visit with their patient in order to ensure their continuing care is able to be provided,” Keys said.
Post pandemic, Keys said she thinks these teleservices would be a great opportunity for patients.
“For busy, working folks who have difficulty getting time off to go to a provider without having to get time off and go to a waiting room to see a provider,” she said. “So I see this as really a win, win for the patient and the practice, as well. If we could continue this and see this roll out past the pandemic, I think this would be a great opportunity for our community.”
Keys did note that these teleservices will not be right for every patient or situation.
“But there are certainly opportunities to provide the service in a way that’s meaningful, especially in the situation we’re experiencing now with the pandemic,” she said.