close

Telemedicine visits skyrocket during pandemic

5 min read
1 / 2

Courtesy of Washington Health System

Dr. Lisa Goss is chief medical information officer at Washington Health System.

2 / 2

Courtesy of Washington Health System

Dr. Lisa Goss has seen a drastic increase in telehealth visits since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, many patients were unable to access regular medical care because of stay-at-home orders and shuttered doctors’ offices.

Even as businesses reopened, many patients were still hesitant to visit a doctor’s office or found long wait times for appointments. That’s where technology came in allowing patients and doctors to connect for virtual visits via computers and smartphones.

The concept of telemedicine has been around for a few decades, but the COVID-19 pandemic brought it into widespread use over the past year.

“While we have offered telehealth services for many years, the pandemic certainly has provided an opportunity for our members to try telehealth, many for the first time,” said Dr. David Webster, vice president and executive medical director of Clinical Services for Highmark. “Overall, by the end of 2020 we saw an increase in utilization of telehealth services by more than 3,400% over 2019 and more than 3.4 million telehealth services were accessed by our members.”

According to Highmark’s claims data, the most utilized services were for behavioral health and primary care. Women and younger patients were the most likely to use it.

Washington Health System also reacted quickly last year when pandemic lockdowns prevented patients from getting to doctor visits.

Dr. Lisa Goss is chief medical information officer at Washington Health System (WHS) and practices family medicine at WHS Lakeside Primary Care in McMurray. She has been at the helm of telemedicine for WHS over the past year.

“Before the pandemic, telemedicine at Washington Health System was used to evaluate stroke patients for potential higher levels of care and for consultative services between our two hospital campuses, located in Washington and Greene counties,” Goss said. “However, since the pandemic, the use of telemedicine has been widely expanded. We now are able to provide telemedicine services at all of our outpatient provider offices, both primary care and specialty locations.”

Goss said WHS was able to quickly adapt and implement telemedicine in ambulatory setting by the end of last March.

“We provided training for both providers and office staff to help implement a successful telemedicine program,” Goss said. “Having training reference materials and videos were keys to success as well as having super users in each office who were able to help patients and providers overcome any bumps along the way.”

WHS also made sure to highlight the availability of telemedicine visits on its website and social media pages along with emailing patients to let them know it was an option.

Goss said overall, the reaction has been positive.

“We have a wide variety of patients who use the service from the young to the young at heart,” she said. “Some who may be more technologically challenged have engaged the help of a family member to allow them to connect. Having the option to see their healthcare provider virtually has been a big relief for many patients who are concerned about potential exposures by leaving their homes.”

To address that issue, Goss said WHS offices have taken great care to ensure in-person visits are safe and all required CDC precautions are followed closely for patients who want that personal connection with their provider. One discovery providers have made is that some of the best types of visits to conduct via telemedicine are for mental health counseling.

“Given the significant stressors that we are all dealing with in this unprecedented time, it is important to keep this in mind as help may be easier to come by than you think,” Goss said. “If you or someone that you care about may need help, please remember that this option is available.”

The biggest challenge arising from all of this has been overcoming the technology itself.

“If the WiFi connection where the patient is located is not strong, the televisit is often poor,” Goss said. “Sometimes, the device that the patient may be using has a hard time connecting or the location of the patient may not be private or has a lot of background noise making it hard to hear the patient well.”

To remedy that situation, Goss said staff recommended patients use a quiet, private, well-lit location to connect with healthcare providers.

“It can even be helpful to have a flashlight nearby in case you need to show a rash or the inside of your throat, for example,” Goss said. “Providers have also had to learn to be creative in how to perform a clinical exam during televisits since this is often somewhat limited in a virtual setting.”

Will telemedicine be around for good now?

Given its success, Goss said odds are very good that it’s here to stay.

“Patients do appreciate the convenience and ease of access especially for those patients who live in more remote locations or with busy schedules,” she said. “Part of the barrier to its prior success was that insurance companies were reluctant to pay for this service. It has become clear that many payers are planning on continuing to offer this to their members moving forward given its high utilization and satisfaction on the part of both providers and patients.”

Still, Goss said, patients should be assured in-person care will remain a vital part of medicine.

“The human connection in medicine, just as in the rest of life,” she said, “remains a vital part of any meaningful relationship.”

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $3.75/week.

Subscribe Today