{"id":33956,"date":"2021-01-15T13:00:27","date_gmt":"2021-01-15T18:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/?p=33956"},"modified":"2021-01-18T12:00:50","modified_gmt":"2021-01-18T17:00:50","slug":"with-the-sudden-arise-of-pandemic-use-of-telemedicine-equipment-sees-huge-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2021\/01\/with-the-sudden-arise-of-pandemic-use-of-telemedicine-equipment-sees-huge-rise\/","title":{"rendered":"With The Sudden Arise Of Pandemic, Use Of Telemedicine Equipment Sees Huge Rise"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Glens Falls Hospital primary care physician Dr. Matt Pender communicates with a patient who is off site. Use of telemedicine was a future trend, which skyrocketed because of the pandemic.
Courtesy Glens Falls Hospital<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Christine Graf
\nAccording to national data, doctors in the United States logged more than 1 billion virtual telemedicine appointments during 2020. Its usage peaked in April at which time 69 percent of all patient visits were virtual.
\nAt Glens Falls Hospital, no telemedicine system was in place when the COVID-19 pandemic began. As a result, administrators had to scramble to get a system in place.
\n\u201cThis was all new to all of us,\u201d said Patti Hammond, vice president for physician practice management. \u201cOne of the reasons was that the insurance companies including Medicare were not paying for virtual visits as though it was an in-person visit. Because of COVID, there were some emergency approvals, and the insurance companies said they would pay for that visit just as though the patient was in your office setting.\u201d
\nIn a matter of 48 hours, Glens Falls Hospital had a telemedicine system up and running. The hospital uses the Doxy.me platform and pays a monthly fee for each provider who uses the tool.
\n\u201cBecause we are a health care organization, we had to have a system that was HIPPA compliant. You can\u2019t just do a Zoom call,\u201d said Hammond.
\nSaratoga Hospital Medical Group, a group of more than 250 providers practicing out of 20-plus locations, implemented a telemedicine platform in the spring of 2019.
\n\u201cWe had the capability, but found we weren\u2019t using it,\u201d said Julie Demaree, Saratoga Hospital director of informatics and data integrity. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have much interest from our providers and patients.\u201d
\nIn mid-March, all providers in the group were trained on how to use the platform. In the two weeks that followed, 3,500 virtual visits were conducted.
\n\u201cIt was a learning curve for both patients and providers,\u201d said Demaree. \u201cI really give so much credit to our providers because they had to pivot very quickly. Delivering medicine through a camera is very different than doing it in person. They also had to take on a new role of being tech support for patients.\u201d
\nEach virtual visit begins with a phone call, during which time patients are registered and screened by a nurse. Patients are then sent a link via text or email that takes them into a virtual waiting room. After meeting with doctors, follow up appointments are scheduled as necessary.
\n\u201cYou want to mirror the in-office workflow as best you can because that is what the providers and patients have become accustomed to,\u201d said Ann Marie Hatch, senior director of physician practice at Glens Falls Hospital.
\nAt Saratoga Hospital Medical Group, each provider has customized their telehealth procedures. Some incorporate the use of phone calls while others rely on video only. Like Glens Falls Hospital, phone appointments are conducted for patients without access to video.
\n\u201cOne of the challenges we have up here in the North Country is connectivity,\u201d said Hammond, referring to access to broadband service which is difficult in some rural areas.
\nAt Glens Falls Hospital, 50 percent of patient visits were conducted virtually during the peak of COVID. When cases began to rise in December, the hospital\u2019s primary care practices returned to conducting the majority of patient visits virtually.
\n\u201cThe primary goal of our practices is protect our most vulnerable patients and to keep our staff from becoming exposed\u201d said Hatch. \u201cWe hold that value, and that\u2019s how we make our decisions.\u201d
\nSaratoga Hospital Medical Group\u2019s telemedicine visits peaked in April at which time 65 percent of patient visits were virtual. That number has dropped to 15 percent but is climbing due to the second wave of COVID, officials said. In June, the medical group began using telemedicine in their urgent cares. It has been especially useful for patients who need COVID testing.
\n\u201cWe had hundreds of people coming every day and waiting in line at our urgent care centers just to ask for a COVID test. They are able to do a telemedicine visit and we can send an order for them to go be tested. We\u2019re able to see a lot of patients through telehealth. It\u2019s really good for our patients and it helps us see the people who are sicker and really need to be in the office,\u201d said Demaree.
\nShe said the utilization of telemedicine also minimizes risk to health care providers and allows a provider who is in quarantine to see patients. Additionally, it leads to a decrease in the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) which remains in short supply.
\n\u201cTelehealth creates some barrier,\u201d said Demaree. \u201cIt requires understanding of technology, access to a device, a need for connectivity at home. But we found that it also removed some barriers that exist when you are accessing traditional health care. Things like transportation, child care, getting out of work, having the motivation to drive somewhere. We found that we actually had decreased no shows rates and increased compliance in some of our departments which was really fascinating.\u201d
\nTelemedicine is expected to remain popular even after the pandemic is over. In order for this to happen, insurance company reimbursement must continue.
\n\u201cEffective the first of the year, Medicare is going to make that a permanent change. And I think the other insurance companies will follow,\u201d said Hammond. \u201cI think there\u2019s going to be a niche for telehealth in the future.\u201d
\nDespite the success of telemedicine, it is not appropriate for all patients. In both Glens Falls and Saratoga, providers stress that it is safe to come into the hospital or doctor\u2019s office. Medical staff members are screened for symptoms each day, and strict disinfecting and social distancing procedures are in place.
\n\u201cThe most important thing to me is that people continue to get the health care that they need,\u201d said Demaree. \u201cI worry mostly about people delaying care when they need it. I don\u2019t want to see delays in diagnoses or people dying at home from things we could have treated because they are afraid to go to the doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Christine Graf According to national data, doctors in the United States logged more than 1 billion virtual telemedicine appointments during 2020. Its usage peaked in April at which time 69 percent of all patient visits were virtual. At Glens Falls Hospital, no telemedicine system was in place when the COVID-19 pandemic began. As a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":196,"featured_media":33957,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nWith The Sudden Arise Of Pandemic, Use Of Telemedicine Equipment Sees Huge Rise - Glens Falls Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2021\/01\/with-the-sudden-arise-of-pandemic-use-of-telemedicine-equipment-sees-huge-rise\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"With The Sudden Arise Of Pandemic, Use Of Telemedicine Equipment Sees Huge Rise - Glens Falls Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Christine Graf According to national data, doctors in the United States logged more than 1 billion virtual telemedicine appointments during 2020. 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