{"id":18618,"date":"2020-03-18T14:06:40","date_gmt":"2020-03-18T19:06:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/?p=18618"},"modified":"2023-01-12T19:11:16","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T00:11:16","slug":"telehealth-is-going-to-be-part-of-our-lives-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/telehealth-is-going-to-be-part-of-our-lives-now\/","title":{"rendered":"What Can You Actually Do During a Video Visit?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><em>Coronavirus information changes quickly, so please note the publication date on this story. You can find current<\/em><em> recommendations and national outbreak data on the <a style=\"color: #808080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/cases-updates\/summary.html\">CDC<\/a> website. Or, if you want local coronavirus updates, check out the department of health website <a style=\"color: #808080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usa.gov\/state-health\">for your state<\/a> or <a style=\"color: #808080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.naccho.org\/membership\/lhd-directory\">your city<\/a>. Enjoy reading and stay safe.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A few days before a recent visit with a nurse practitioner to go over routine blood work, I called my doctor\u2019s office. \u201cCan I speak to her on the phone instead?\u201d I asked, not wanting to sit in a waiting room full of sick patients in the age of the coronavirus.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cShe does phone appointments once a week,\u201d her assistant said. Her next available? Nearly two months later. I emailed the head of the practice asking him to loosen the rules given the emergency situation. The next day, I got a phone call. The nurse practitioner could talk to me in a few days, via a telehealth visit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the day of my appointment, I sat down in front of my laptop and clicked a link my doctor\u2019s office sent. Then my nurse practitioner popped up on the screen, and we proceeded with my appointment just like we were sitting together in her office.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Telemedicine or telehealth visits have been around for years, with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/these-5-medical-specialties-are-on-the-rise-heres-why\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">some doctors embracing them<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and others slow to adopt. Two major barriers holding back telehealth have been spotty access to providers and limited insurance coverage for care. Now, COVID-19 has propelled telehealth into the spotlight. There&#8217;s a push to make it more widely available \u2014 and quickly. Experts say virtual care has the potential to expedite medical attention while keeping healthcare providers safe. It also keeps healthy patients safe by isolating them from sick ones, and can improve access for patients in remote areas.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In March, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cms.gov\/newsroom\/fact-sheets\/medicare-telemedicine-health-care-provider-fact-sheet\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the government took an emergency step to relax its rules for telehealth coverage for Medicare recipients<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, allowing someone on Medicare to have a telehealth visit at home as long as they\u2019ve seen that provider, or another one in the same practice, at least once in the past three years. Medicare patients can also now have a telehealth visit with an out-of-state provider, and providers are allowed to use any video conferencing platform, including FaceTime. The policy change has helped open the floodgates, prompting more providers to offer telehealth visits to patients.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cTelehealth was always coming,\u201d says Joseph Brennan, a telehealth consultant and founder of Moonshot Telehealth Consulting. \u201cPatients wanted it more and more, but there was never a push to use it. What COVID-19 has done is that now, every provider has to consider this is something they\u2019re going to do in the next three months. Everybody is rolling up their sleeves. With healthcare visits, there\u2019s going to be a virtual component.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Routine appointments and sick visits<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To get the most out of a telehealth visit, it helps to prepare. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first thing to do is set up your technology. You\u2019ll need a smartphone or a computer with a video camera and a reliable internet connection. Brennan, who helps healthcare systems across the country get set up with telehealth, says it\u2019s important to find a quiet spot where you won\u2019t be interrupted and where you can have an open and honest conversation with your provider. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then, just like you would for an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/how-to-prepare-for-any-appointment\/\">in-person appointment<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, you should prepare a list of questions or concerns. If you\u2019re going over blood work with your provider, print out the report from your patient portal (if you can) so you have it in front of you during your visit. If you don\u2019t have a copy, ask your doctor to send it to you ahead of time.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dr. Jennifer Vazquez Bryan, a family doctor in Olympia, Washington, about an hour outside of Seattle, says patients should also have their current medications in front of them, or at least a list of what they\u2019re taking.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chaunie Marie Brusie, 33, from southeast Michigan, has used a telehealth app on her phone for the last four years for doctor\u2019s appointments for herself and her five children. Once, she scheduled a telehealth visit when she came down with a sinus infection. \u201cThey\u2019re a great resource to have,\u201d she says, \u201cand especially now.\u201d (Here&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/what-you-can-and-cant-do-during-a-primary-care-video-visit\/\">what to know about primary care video visits<\/a>.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before joining calls with her doctor, Brusie gathers relevant information, like her temperature, any current symptoms, medicine she\u2019s taken and when she took the last dose. When it comes to cost, Brusie pays her normal insurance co-pay for a telehealth visit. Brennan says that based on his own research, it&#8217;s common for patients not using insurance to pay on average $45 to $99 for a telehealth visit with their primary care provider. (Here&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/how-does-insurance-work-for-video-visits\/\">more information on insurance coverage<\/a> for telehealth visits.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Columbus, Ohio, Amy Fortney, 45, has used her PC at home to do telehealth appointments for colds and sinus infections. \u201cMake sure you have a good webcam,\u201d she adds. She\u2019s also done telemedicine visits without a video component, where she went online to describe symptoms to a doctor. Indeed, some specialties like dermatology <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">have their own telehealth policies and practices<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Some dermatologists interact with their patients via live video while others review images and other data their patients send them. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/can-a-selfie-replace-an-office-visit\/\">Here&#8217;s a primer on teledermatology<\/a>.)<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Mental healthcare<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stern conducts all of his patient appointments online, seeing almost 100 patients a week. Patients who connect with him see Stern in his home office surrounded by potted plants. \u201cIt\u2019s super convenient, and it\u2019s much easier to schedule people,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The most successful calls are those for which the patient makes sure they have the time and space to focus on the virtual visit, he says. He asks patients to think about any symptoms they\u2019re still having or any side effects from their medications and be prepared to talk about them during the call.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhen you go into a doctor\u2019s office, all you have to do is put your phone on silent and you\u2019re good. But with telehealth visits, you want to make sure you\u2019re going to have real quiet time, without kids or other people coming in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stern uses Zoom, one of the most popular video-call platforms. He prefers patients to use computers rather than smartphones whenever possible so he can see them better. \u201cWith therapy, you really want to capture someone\u2019s body language,\u201d he says. He often utilizes a whiteboard feature on Zoom to draw out concepts for patients, mimicking ones he\u2019d explain visually in person on paper. He also uses Zoom\u2019s chat function to send patients relevant links.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: georgia, serif;\">&#8220;All medications, labs, referrals<\/span>\u00a0can be done electronically. There are no differences.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Telehealth visits can also enhance mental healthcare because they give providers a peek into patients\u2019 living environments, Stern says. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/1-question-5-answers-what-can-you-do-to-make-virtual-therapy-as-valuable-as-the-irl-version\/\">Here&#8217;s what you can do<\/a> to get the most out of virtual sessions.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI can really learn a lot about patients from where they live and how they live,\u201d he says. \u201cTelehealth visits are a great opportunity for your provider to learn a lot more about you. Use the opportunity to show more of your life to your therapist.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stern says that among his colleagues, interest in telehealth appointments has definitely picked up in recent weeks. \u201cEveryone\u2019s talking about it,\u201d he says. \u201cMore and more people are moving to telehealth visits.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Coronavirus consults<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Doctors and health systems are also encouraging patients with mild coronavirus symptoms to stay at home and get screened by phone or video chat, rather than in person.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vazquez Bryan says that especially for healthcare providers who aren\u2019t currently on the frontlines of caring for COVID-19 patients, \u201cwe want to try to keep our doctors safe, but also be available.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the last week alone, Brennan has helped three major health systems in the US get fully set up with telehealth for COVID-19 screenings. And separately, at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/90471598\/you-can-now-get-a-free-coronavirus-assessment-online-thanks-to-telehealth-companies\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the Cleveland Clinic<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, infection control specialists are screening possible COVID-19 patients virtually.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Healthcare providers can\u2019t diagnose COVID-19 during video visits, but they can offer self-care and quarantine tips, let patients know when they need to go to a hospital, and if they do, help to coordinate their arrival in the ER. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/if-you-are-sick\/steps-when-sick.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Centers for Disease Control<\/span><\/a> currently recommends contacting your doctor if you have symptoms including shortness of breath, a high fever or coughing.<\/p>\n<p>While policies are still evolving, most insurance companies are now <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/03\/12\/politics\/fact-check-copays-coronavirus-testing-treatment\/index.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">waiving costs for COVID-19 testing but not treatment.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;The federal government has encouraged no cost to patients for all telehealth,\u201d says Brennan. \u201cIt\u2019s not solidified on what commercial payers will do, and it will vary state to state. But from everyone I\u2019ve spoken to, no patients will be charged.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That means you likely won\u2019t have a co-pay for video or phone screenings to determine if testing is appropriate, and if you end up needing an actual COVID-19 test, that should also be free.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Follow-up care<\/h2>\n<div><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: georgia, serif;\">In general, patients can get the same follow-up care from a video visit that they&#8217;d typically get during an in-person visit. <\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: georgia, serif;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: georgia, serif;\">&#8220;All medications, labs, referrals \u2014 <\/span>they can be done electronically,&#8221; says Dr. <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">David Stern, a psychiatrist in private practice in Houston.<\/span>\u00a0&#8220;There are no differences.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: georgia, serif;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: georgia, serif;\">Doctors did use to write labs on a physical prescription pad, but that&#8217;s hardly done anymore, he adds. Most providers have transitioned to electronic\u00a0prescriptions.\u00a0<\/span>For controlled substances like\u00a0<span id=\"m_5245027019687029365:46h.1\">Adderall<\/span>\u00a0or\u00a0<span id=\"m_5245027019687029365:46h.2\">Clonazepam<\/span>, however, some doctors continue to use physical prescriptions to help prevent abuse.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;Still, it&#8217;s definitely possible and quite common to prescribe controlled substances remotely,&#8221; Stern says.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: georgia, serif;\">That&#8217;s because of a recent change in rules by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.govtrack.us\/congress\/bills\/110\/hr6353\/text\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.govtrack.us\/congress\/bills\/110\/hr6353\/text&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1587763271237000&amp;usg=AFQjCNF0biWwSK2Ur_RIOZDNSRQBSSRDyQ\">A 2008 act<\/a>\u00a0had prohibited\u00a0providers from prescribing controlled substances without an in-person evaluation. Congress gave the DEA an October 2019 deadline to amend that law to account for\u00a0<span id=\"m_5245027019687029365:46h.3\">telemedicine<\/span>, but that never happened. Then, due to\u00a0<span id=\"m_5245027019687029365:46h.4\">COVID<\/span>-19, the DEA announced in March that because of the\u00a0pandemic\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov\/GDP\/(DEA-DC-023)(DEA075)Decision_Tree_(Final)_33120_2007.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov\/GDP\/(DEA-DC-023)(DEA075)Decision_Tree_(Final)_33120_2007.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1587763271237000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHpRa0uldMcyMve4slQu1WIdYA2Ag\">providers can now prescribe controlled substances without an in-person evaluation.<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<h1 class=\"p2\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"s1\">Ready to book a doctor&#8217;s appointment? Visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/\"><span class=\"s2\">Zocdoc.<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Virtual patient-ing is here to stay. Here&#8217;s what to know. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":18619,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[227],"tags":[149,131,150],"class_list":["post-18618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides","tag-covid19","tag-tech","tag-videovisits"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Can You Actually Do During a Video Visit? - Guides<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Virtual patient-ing is here to stay. 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