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January – February 2021
A message from Dr. Gretchen Goltz, medical director
Virtual doctor office visits here to stay
 Before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, many doctors and patients alike were reluctant to use telemedicine. Their reasons included not thinking it was as effective as an in-person visit and not wanting to deal with the technology involved with using it.
The pandemic changed all of that. With people continuing to practice social distancing, telemedicine remains a viable option. While the use of telemedicine tapered off during the summer when infection rates slowed and people were more comfortable venturing into doctor’s offices, it picked up again in the fall with the surge in COVID-19 infection rates.
A November column by one of my colleagues, Dr. Jann Caison-Sorey, cited some interesting pre-COVID statistics about seniors and telehealth:
- 52% said they’re willing to use telehealth.*
- 84% said they would use it for prescription renewals.*
- 67% said they would use it to manage chronic conditions.*
Also, as you may have read before, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan noted a significant increase in the use of telemedicine after the pandemic began:
- Over a four-week period last spring, the percentage of primary care doctors in our Physician Group Incentive Program who provided telemedicine services went from less than 10% to more than 80%.
It appears that the trend toward telemedicine is here to stay.
Enhancing the patient experience
There’s a great deal of technology that physicians can use to enhance the patient’s experience with it. While telemedicine can be performed using audio only if necessary, having an audio-visual component significantly improves the experience. Other technology that can be useful:
- Secure texting
- Store-and-forward technology — This technology can allow a patient to take a photo of their condition (particularly helpful with skin conditions, such as rashes) and email or text it to the doctor.
- Remote patient monitoring — This is particularly helpful for patients who have congestive heart failure and other chronic conditions.
At Blue Cross we recently formed a large cross-functional telehealth committee to discuss how best to implement telemedicine throughout the state. The committee is looking at such issues as:
- Reimbursement and medical policy
- How telemedicine can help address health care disparities
- The challenges of using telemedicine in rural areas or among socially disadvantaged populations
We consider telemedicine to be a key component of our efforts to improve care delivery.
Virtual exam training
To help physicians feel more confident using telemedicine, I’ve developed a training video to help them conduct thorough physical exams using audio-visual telemedicine. It
covers the following aspects of the exam:
- Head, eyes, ears, nose and throat
- Skin
- Cardiopulmonary
- Abdominal and genitourinary
- Musculoskeletal
- Neurological
Click here** to see the video.
I’ve made virtual presentations about using telemedicine to conduct physical exams to a variety of groups, including:
- Michigan Osteopathic Association
- First- and second-year medical students at Michigan State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Physician Group Incentive Program executive and medical leadership
If you’d like to schedule a training session with me for your physician organization or other organization, send me an email at GGoltz@bcbsm.com.
*Source: American Well Telehealth Index: 2019 Senior Consumer Survey
**The information in this video is for educational purposes only. It’s not intended to be medical advice. |
