How Telemedicine Has Changed Healthcare

Published On: June 15, 2020Categories: Uncategorized
urgent care

As hospitals are overrun by the surges of COVID patients being admitted, visits to the doctor for matters unrelated to the virus are a huge unknown for many. And according to the Urgent Care Association, U.S. urgent care centers handle an average of three patient care visits per hour and 50 visits per day. So how has that been affected during this pandemic? How will the healthcare field need to adapt in order to maintain the level of patient care that is required?

Thankfully, urgent care centers are still open and available for those with non-COVID related emergencies. So long as you comply with social distancing standards and CDC guidelines, you will be able to be seen at an urgent care center near you. It’s important that you remember to stay in touch with your doctors and stay on top of your health even during this time where it may be riskier for you to leave the house. However, if leaving your home is not an option for you, there are remote options you can pursue.

The most fascinating part of how COVID has affected healthcare services is the introduction and reliance on telemedicine. Telemedicine provides many of the services your healthcare provider would offer you in person, but without the need for face to face contact.

Now, if you need to speak with your primary care doctor or whoever is responsible for your prescription, you can set up an online meeting to talk with your doctor and communicate any concerns or issues you may have. Should you feel like you need to speak with your doctor, all you have to do is set up an appointment, just like before.

This has allowed for healthcare services to continue to be provided from a safe distance that also allows our community to distance from each other. Thus, telemedicine has essentially killed two birds with one stone in an attempt to keep the public healthy. And while it cannot offer all of the same services an in-person checkup can offer, it is the next best thing we have during this time when personal contact is so drastically limited.

Should you believe you have come in contact with the COVID virus, healthcare centers urge you to call your physician first before visiting in person.