Telemedicine Is Here To Stay

A person holding a stethoscope in front of a laptop.


Telemedicine became very popular during the pandemic, although most patients now expect that sort of flexibility with their physicians.  The technology has gotten dramatically better over the last couple of years.  In a recent survey by McKinsey & Company, only 9% of those reporting negative aspects of an online doctor visit cited technical difficulties as a cause.  Cookies play an important role for repeat visitors.  “We realized there is a lot of cognitive overload for patients,†Lee Schwamm, VP of digital patient experience and virtual care at Mass General Brigham, told the Wall Street Journal.  “It is stressful to have to find an email, a link and a password when you are getting ready for an appointment with your doctor,†he said.  Since most patients login just minutes before an appointment, there is very little time to help people who are having technical problems.  In a 2021 McKinsey Physician Survey, 45% of doctors surveyed said that they invested in telehealth during the pandemic, and 41% said they have the technology to deliver telehealth seamlessly.  Doctors, however, are not fully on board with telemedicine.  In another McKinsey study earlier this year, two-thirds of doctors polled identified shortcomings in the system.  Their biggest complaint is the lack of an in-person visit.  “There are some conditions where I need a physical exam to make a decision on a patient’s care,†Keith Sale, VP of ambulatory services at the University of Kansas Health Systems, told the Wall Street Journal.

Monterey, CA Telehealth Continues To Boom

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Telehealth continues to boom even as the pandemic has begun to slow.  It’s quicker, easier, and doctors can see more patients.  Prior to the pandemic, telehealth made up less than 0.01% of healthcare visits across the United States.  By mid-April of 2020, that number had jumped to 69%.  Both Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, or CHOMP, and Dignity Health care are actively promoting telehealth.  This is particularly great news for those with rare diseases for which there are just a handful of specialists nationwide.  A new study found that 83% of those with rare diseases were offered a telehealth visit by their health care provider and 92% of those felt it was a positive experience.

How Technology Can Reduce Doctor Visits

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Technology is advancing at an incredibly rapid rate and there are now numerous devices that you can buy which will monitor various aspects of your health which may be able to help you reduce doctor visits.  Medical technology placed in the home can allow patients and caregivers to run tests, such as blood pressure and glucose-level readings and ever do kidney dialysis and take X-rays.  In 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a statement that “more than 60 different acute conditions such as asthma, congestive heart failure, pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), can be treated appropriately and safely in home settings with proper monitoring and treatment protocols.â€Â  More and more seniors are taking advantage of this.  The number of U.S. telehealth visits in 2020 was 63x higher than in 2019, according to a study by the Department of Health and Human Services.

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Telehealth Has Become The Norm For Seniors During The Pandemic

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Telehealth has become a normal part of the daily life of seniors, although there has been a big behind the scene battle being played out as Medicare has threatened to stop reimbursing for these visits once the pandemic has lifted.  However, with the new Omicron strain of COVID-19 spreading like wildfire, for now, at least, Medicare has backed down and extended coverage of remote health care through at least 2023.  Granted, it does have its limitations.  For instance, patients and physicians worry that the lack of face-to-face visits won’t allow the doctor to pick up on subtle clues about the patient’s health that body language might reveal with a personal visit.  However, with 52.7 million Medicare visits clocked last year versus only 840K in 2019, clearly something is working!

Carmel, CA Telemedicine Is Here To Stay, Says Medicare

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More than three times as many Medicare beneficiaries had access to their doctors via a phone or video visit during the pandemic than before, a trend which is likely to continue with the new COVID-19 variant causing another surge in coronavirus cases.  The Kaiser Foundation, which recently conducted a study on this issue, said that expanded telehealth care is really good news for people of color, those with disabilities and low income families.   Those living in rural areas had difficulty getting to the doctor even before coronavirus.  Believe it or not, Monterey County is considered rural and indeed in South and North County populations are spread out over quite a large footprint. Thankfully, in early 2020, Medicare expanded coverage of such visits to enable all enrollees to keep up with their medical care while minimizing their risk of exposure to the coronavirus.  Although the rules only extend through the end of 2021, there are a number of bills in Congress which would make telehealth coverage permanent.

https://www.aarp.org/health/medicare-insurance/info-2021/telehealth-increase-covid-pandemic.html

 

Pebble Beach, CA Telemedicine Is Here To Stay, Says Medicare

A person holding a stethoscope in front of a laptop.


More than three times as many Medicare beneficiaries had access to their doctors via a phone or video visit during the pandemic than before, a trend which is likely to continue with the new COVID-19 variant causing another surge in coronavirus cases.  The Kaiser Foundation, which recently conducted a study on this issue, said that expanded telehealth care is really good news for people of color, those with disabilities and low income families.   Those living in rural areas had difficulty getting to the doctor even before coronavirus.  Believe it or not, Monterey County is considered rural and indeed in South and North County populations are spread out over quite a large footprint. Thankfully, in early 2020, Medicare expanded coverage of such visits to enable all enrollees to keep up with their medical care while minimizing their r4isk of exposure to the coronavirus.  Although the rules only extend through the end of 2021, there are a number of bills in Congress which would make telehealth coverage permanent.

https://www.aarp.org/health/medicare-insurance/info-2021/telehealth-increase-covid-pandemic.html

Pacific Grove, CA Telemedicine Is Here To Stay, Says Medicare

A person holding a stethoscope in front of a laptop.


More than three times as many Medicare beneficiaries had access to their doctors via a phone or video visit during the pandemic than before, a trend which is likely to continue with the new COVID-19 variant causing another surge in coronavirus cases.  The Kaiser Foundation, which recently conducted a study on this issue, said that expanded telehealth care is really good news for people of color, those with disabilities and low income families.   Those living in rural areas had difficulty getting to the doctor e//ven before coronavirus.  Believe it or not, Monterey County is considered rural and indeed in South and North County populations are spread out over quite a large footprint. Thankfully, in early 2020, Medicare expanded coverage of such visits to enable all enrollees to keep up with their medical care while minimizing their r4isk of exposure to the coronavirus.  Although the rules only extend through the end of 2021, there are a number of bills in Congress which would make telehealth coverage permanent.

 

https://www.aarp.org/health/medicare-insurance/info-2021/telehealth-increase-covid-pandemic.html

Telemedicine May Become The Norm Post Pandemic


Although many people have only used telemedicine, or virtual medicine, for the first time during the pandemic, this may become very popular going forward.  However, some worry that doctors appointments that are not done in person may not allow the physician to pick up on telltale physical clues which can be masked by the camera.  Body language can give a physician important clues to your health.  Despite the pro’s and con’s, I think that going forward most patients will feel a mix of physical and virtual appointments will be the best bet.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-telemedicine-changed-my-relationship-with-my-doctors-11616942876?mod=djemHL_t

Carmel, CA Seniors Turning To Telehealth Amidst Coronavirus Pandemic


More and more seniors are turning to Telehealth programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  “When you’re not feeling well, having to get up, get dressed and drive all the way to the hospital and then get in line and then possibly get sick from someone else is not all that appealing,†Marla Jo Fisher, a writer, told AARP Bulletin (November 2020, page 44).  Medicare is expanding coverage of telehealth visits during the pandemic, changes which hopefully will remain in place.  The Department of Health and Human Services recently reported that less than 1% of primary care visits in February were via Telehealth, a number which jumped to 43.5% in April.  California has a bill going into effect on January 1 requiring all insurers to pay for Telehealth visits.  If your doctor isn’t using Telehealth, talk to Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, CHOMP, on suggestions.

https://www.chomp.org/find-a-doctor/doctor-search-results/?termId=a826e4db-730c-e611-9cf8-005056a462a1#.X9fgodhKjcs