Visiting The Doctor From Your Sofa: Discovering Telemedicine

June 23, 2020

In late April, Mark and his wife Courtney figured they’d kick up their spring cleaning a notch and finally get around to cleaning out the attic. They’d been intending to get around to it since their retirement from teaching in 2018. “And, of course, Mark takes three steps up the ladder, slips, falls, and bruises his knee,” remembers Courtney.

They both laughed it off, but then were concerned. It was the height of the stay-at-home order due to COVID-19, and their doctor was only available for emergency calls. And besides, the last place they wanted to expose themselves to was a doctor’s office waiting room. “It was more or less a cut, but it was swelling enough we didn’t want to risk infection,” Mark says.

They called their doctor, who told them that there was a perfect solution. One where they could keep practicing social distancing and wouldn’t have to come into the office: Telemedicine.

For several years, this innovative care platform has been on the rise. Telemedicine allows doctors to care for patients remotely by using video conferencing tools. “We downloaded an app, shared our screen with the doctor, and she called in an antibiotic prescription to the pharmacy, and that was that. It was SO easy!” Mark marvels. With the shelter-in-place orders that started in March, more doctors and patients have discovered how useful and convenient the option of technology-enabled digital health.

If you’ve ever done a Facetime or Zoom call, you know pretty much how it works. You share your screen with a doctor (in Mark’s case, he showed the doctor his cut-up knee, so the doctor was able to determine that it was a milder case and wouldn’t require an emergency room visit). Prior to the pandemic, telehealth never received mass consumer adoption. Almost instantly, that has now changed. Many healthcare professionals believe that now that the public has experienced the benefits and efficiencies of telehealth, more people will choose it as their preferred way to access primary care.

“If we’d experienced it sooner, we wouldn’t have waited so long to get around to using it!” Courtney enthuses.

Another thing you’ll be thankful you got around to is scheduling a free Benefits Review with an AMBA representative. They can help you find out about additional benefits you’ll enjoy having. VISIT AMBA-REVIEW.COM

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