“Rocco! Come on, Rocco! Shhh!
Kelly Masut smiled and bent down to give the dog a treat. “I kept a bone in her lap in case she started barking,” she says.
I Close this I asked her to point her computer screen at the puppy so Rocco could join our Zoom call (what can I say? I love dogs), but when I ask Before, Masut finished her thoughts. She says, “So I definitely recommend taking a baseline dose of vitamin D every day until you get a blood test to confirm your exact levels.”
In a sense, I feel like I’m constantly catching up with friends and colleagues over Zoom. However, this virtual check-in is actually a check.Up: Dr. Kerri Maetto is a primary care internal medicine physician at Parsley Health. This is a medical facility that offers both in-person visits and virtual appointments via video chat, as is currently being done.
If it seems like everyone is embracing telemedicine more than ever, it’s because we are. At Cleveland Clinic, he logged more than 60,000 telemedicine visits in March 2020, compared to a typical virtual visit average of 3,400. Meanwhile, health tech companies like Teladoc, Doctor On Demand, and Amwell are all reporting about a 50% increase in the number of virtual visits compared to before the coronavirus outbreak. And Parsley Health told me that from January 2020 to March 2020, business was up 70% compared to the same period in 2019.
Curious about this trend, I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Masut to find out for myself what Telemed is. Here’s what I learned about how to get the most out of virtual visits.
1. Use online documentation to flag pressing issues.and Give your doctor a complete picture of your health.
Before my appointment, I spent 15 minutes clicking through Parsley’s “Health Goals” and “Symptom Tracker” questionnaires. Annoying? a bit. But it’s just like the old-fashioned paper clipboard that the receptionist hands you, and it’s definitely less germy than the iPads in high-tech offices that have been touched by who knows how many people. It has been disinfected).
Rather than quickly clicking through these questions, I sat down and thought about them seriously. For example, if you want to know why PMS gets worse as you get older and if you need vitamin D supplements.
Dr. Mast praised this strategy. “Even if the reason you made the appointment was to talk about something specific, like a cough or urinary tract infection, bringing up other concerns can help your doctor get a better picture of your overall health.” It will help you.” she says to me “And these intake forms are a great way to jog your memory, so you don’t forget to mention other things during your appointment.”
2. Review security protocols and ensure this document can be legally inspected virtually.in front your schedule.
When I log in, Dr. Masut is already in the Zoom conference room on Parsley’s private portal. After her quick hello, she asked to see my driver’s license to confirm my identity. She also asks what city and state I am currently in. This is not just a chat to get to know each other. Telemedicine laws require that the physician be physically present and licensed to practice medicine for the initial consultation. (In fact, some states require an in-person examination during your first visit. after that You can make virtual follow-up appointments. )
After your first visit, your doctor can treat you wherever you are, but pharmacies in states where they are not licensed may not be able to prescribe your medication.
Now that we’re in the midst of a global pandemic, many of these telemedicine laws are changing because we’re having to see more patients virtually than ever before, says New York City-based Medical Offices of Manhattan offers telemedicine appointments.
“When making an appointment over the phone, make sure your doctor’s office knows where you live and can guarantee that your doctor can treat you and prescribe medication if necessary.”
Also important: Make sure the platform you’re using for virtual bookings is HIPAA compliant. This includes many security requirements to ensure privacy and safety. “Clinics should do their due diligence to make sure what they are offering their patients is safe, but it never hurts to ask,” says Dr. Segal.
When you hear it for the first time, it seems a little overdone. After all, common health concerns like the ones I discuss with Dr. Masut don’t require extreme secrecy. So I read this study and found that cyberattacks against healthcare providers are on the rise. (In fact, medical information theft has become a huge problem, with security experts estimating that your medical information is worth about 10 times more than your credit card number on the black market.) , I confirmed the following with Dr. Masut. I am in a Zoom “room” that cannot be hacked.
3. Have a backup plan in case of technical failure.
With the basics done, Dr. Masut asked me why I had scheduled today. And the moment I started telling her what I was planning to do, her face froze and a message popped up midway through saying, “Internet bandwidth is poor.” of my laptop screen. I quickly got frustrated and wondered how much time I was going to waste trying to find a solution. Dr. Masut then called my cell phone and muted the sound on the video so we could see each other. and If you freeze again due to internet issues, please continue as planned.
“You definitely want to work with a telemedicine company that doesn’t rely on communication through one portal, because there are always going to be technical issues, especially now. everyone “I’m using the internet more than usual,” she says.
When booking, ask for protocols in case you have connection issues. Make sure you have a HIPAA-compliant backup. You can also ask your doctor at the beginning of your appointment what to do if your internet becomes unstable and you lose your connection, Dr. Masut says.
4. Think of your first appointment as an interview with the doctor who will work for you.
If you have a pressing health concern that requires you to see a new doctor virtually right now, use that appointment to address it.and “To determine whether you like your doctor,” says Renee Dua, MD, chief medical officer at telemedicine company Heal. “Finding a doctor who feels like a good fit is more important than many people realize,” she says. “You want to find someone with whom you can build a relationship, someone you can talk to about your deepest, darkest concerns.”
Dr. Mast agrees. “Telemed makes it much easier to try different doctors because you don’t have to take half a day to go to the office to see someone,” she says. In fact, Dr. Masut tells me to think of her first appointment like a first date. In the back of your mind, you should think about what you are looking for in a doctor and whether you like the person’s style of communication. , and whether the atmosphere between us is good.
“You can ask your doctor things like, ‘Why did you go into medicine?'” “Or, ‘What is your specialty?'” says Dr. Masut. “I think a good doctor might say to you, ‘You know, she specializes in autoimmunity, so I have a colleague who would be a better fit for you.’ We need someone who cares more about being the right doctor for them, rather than accepting them as just that.”
If you’re seeing your own doctor, virtual appointments may feel a little strange at first, but keep an open mind.says Dr. Masut. “The first few minutes of your appointment may feel completely different,” she says. “But there’s a good chance you’ll get used to it quickly and find that you can still cover almost everything a doctor would do in an in-person visit.”
5. Get serious about the documentation all It’s not just your most pressing symptoms, it’s happening to you as well.
Telephone appointments tend to be a little longer than in-person visits (20 minutes for emergencies and up to an hour for annual appointments). This means that you can and should use all of your allotted time to discuss everything. As for what you’re worried about, Dr. Dua says:
“For me, it’s not just about knowing whether you have symptoms of COVID-19, for example, or whether you have symptoms like sinusitis or urinary tract infections,” she said. Masu. “We want to know if you’re struggling mentally right now, or if you’re upset because your baby’s checkups and vaccinations are overdue.” These secondary concerns may not seem important, but they can help your doctor create a plan to take care of you and your family and put your mind at ease.
The benefit of bringing up this seemingly non-urgent topic is that it also helps build trust with your doctor, says Dr. Masut. “In an ideal world, you would have an established relationship with a physician who performs telemedicine visits. in front That way, you can quickly get the advice and support you need during an already stressful situation,” she says. “But you can still build that relationship, even if it’s over Zoom.”
6. Prepare for your virtual physical exam.
During the consultation, Dr. Masut asked me to move a little closer to the computer screen and run my fingers down my neck from my jawline to my collarbone. She asked me if I felt a lump and she said she could actually see if my lymph nodes were swollen.
She says if I have a sore throat, she might ask me to turn on the flashlight on my phone to shine inside my mouth so I can see my tonsils. What about skin rashes and insect bites? You can watch it in real time, but she also shares these tips: For anything physical that might show up in your photo, take a few photos from a few different angles in good natural light and send them through your doctor’s secure messaging system before your appointment.
“Although the majority of tests can be done over distance, keep in mind that in some cases the doctor may say, ‘Sorry, but I think you need to see a doctor in person.’ ” says the doctor. .Masuto. “I want to trust that my remote doctor will let me know if I need to.”
If you see a different doctor in person, ask that your visit records be sent to the telemedicine doctor. “When I send a patient to the ER, I like to see the visit record. That way I can explain what the patient found and see if it fits into our overall plan.” ,” says Dr. Masut.
7. Ask your doctor to send you notes after your visit.
As my appointment with Dr. Mast comes to an end, I am amazed at how much ground we have covered so far. I was taking notes while she peppered me with lifestyle and supplement suggestions. When she says this, it’s as if she knows I’m looking for a refresher. Once we talk, I will recommend exactly the supplements I prefer to make your life easier. ”
Most telemedicine platforms will automatically share your notes, but feel free to request it.says Dr. Dua. Always obtain information through your doctor’s private portal rather than email. “You want to make sure the telemedicine office handles patient information with care, which means receiving notes in a HIPAA-compliant manner,” he says.
