PRIMARY CARE | PRECISECAREMEDICAL

 The doctor must identify themselves and tell you where they are located and where they hold a medical license. Ask for that information if they don’t volunteer it.

 Remain in front of the camera and speak clearly so the doctor can see and hear you.

 The Virtual care standard and guide (the standard) recommends the minimum set of functional requirements to successfully implement and maintain virtual care services in Victorian public health services (VPHS).

 Act as a reference and enable health services that have already implemented virtual care service to identify gaps.

 Identify the common specifications and guidelines used to inform implementation of virtual care services across VPHS.

 This document should be used in conjunction with the Virtual Care Operational Guide, along with other national, state or locally developed clinical standards.

 The COVID-19 pandemic was the catalyst for many health services to rapidly deploy telehealth and other virtual care services to enable healthcare services maintain business continuity and patient care during the extended COVID-19 lockdown. During this time health services developed local guidelines and/or frameworks to support their work and enable broad-based roll-out of telehealth and virtual care services.

 Telemedicine — connecting with a healthcare provider for a virtual visit using a smartphone, tablet, or computer — is soaring in America, and it’s not just because of the COVID-19 pandemic, although the crisis is focusing increased attention on this option for seeking medical care remotely.

 “Telemedicine can make it easier, faster, and safer to get the healthcare you and your family need,” says Rachel Bishop, MD, medical director of telemedicine at Houston Methodist Primary Care Group in Texas.

 “Wait times are shorter than most in-person medical visits. You don’t have to take time off from work or find childcare. And virtual visits can reduce your exposure to viruses and other infections.”

 Precisely because of the coronavirus pandemic, the federal government, some local governments, health insurance companies, health systems, and private telemedicine companies are all taking steps to make virtual medical visits and online health assessments available to more people.

 Some systems are offering free virtual COVID-19 assessments to anyone who contacts them, and while the disease cannot be diagnosed without a lab test, a remote healthcare provider can direct you to the next appropriate step, whether it’s staying home or seeking in-person care.

 The term “telemedicine” is often used interchangeably with the term “telehealth.” However, some organizations differentiate between the two.

 The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), for example, defines telemedicine as the practice of using technology to deliver medical care at a distance, over a telecommunications infrastructure, between a patient at an originating site and a physician or other licensed practitioner at another site.

 The AAFP defines telehealth, meanwhile, as a wide range of electronic and telecommunications technologies that support a variety of remote healthcare services, such as medical, health coaching, and education services.

 Another term you may come across is “telecare,” which usually refers to using technology to monitor and care for elderly or disabled people remotely.

 Telemedicine is the practice of connecting with a healthcare provider for a virtual visit through your computer, tablet, or smartphone. Doctors can provide information, diagnose conditions, recommend treatments, provide mental health counseling, and prescribe medication via a telemedicine appointment.

 With more and more medical practices offering virtual care options, you may want to check first with your primary care doctor, if you have one, or a group medical practice with which you already have a relationship, to see if they’re using phone calls, video chats, or other online methods to conduct remote patient visits.

 Pediatricians are also increasingly offering telemedicine, and many specialists, such as cardiologists, neurologists, obstetricians, and oncologists, are also offering care to their existing patients via telemedicine.

Primary Care

 You may also want to check with your health insurance plan to see whether it has its own telemedicine interface, has partnered with a telemedicine company, or has preferred services. Using a telemedicine plan that accepts your insurance is one way to keep your costs down.

 Another option, if you’re employed, is to ask your human resources department if the company has a preferred telemedicine provider — and whether there’s a cost savings to you in using it.

 Medicaid covers some telehealth services, although the specifics vary from state to state. You should contact your healthcare provider if you have Medicaid to ask what services are available to you.

 Medicare beneficiaries also now have broader access to virtual visits, following changes to federal rules in March 2020, according to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (PDF).

 Some physical urgent care centers are offering telehealth, and at the very least, most will speak to you on the phone about whether or not to come to the center. If you have any upper respiratory symptoms or other symptoms suggesting possible COVID-19, they likely will have special instructions for your visit.

 Telemedicine apps are another option. Many apps offer basic primary and urgent care, and some offer additional services, such as dermatology, nutrition counseling, or mental health help.

 A Charged, Plugged-In Device With a Strong Signal You don’t want to run out of power or lose your connection during your appointment! Use Wi-Fi if your cellular data plan is limited.

 A Charged, Plugged-In Device With a Strong Signal You don’t want to run out of power or lose your connection during your appointment! Use Wi-Fi if your cellular data plan is limited.

 Ear Buds With a Built-in Microphone It will be easier to hear the healthcare provider, and for them to hear you.

 A Quiet Location With Good Lighting Turn off the TV, mute notifications on your phone, and tell others in your house you’ll be busy for the next 15 to 20 minutes before you start your visit. Make sure there’s enough light for the health professional to see your face — and any rashes or other physical problems you want to show them.

 If you’re not at home during the virtual visit, find a quiet, private spot where you can shut the door. “I’ve had people try to do virtual urgent care visits while they’re driving a car. We tell them to hang up and we’ll reschedule later,” Dr. Bishop says.

 A Flashlight You may need extra light to give the doctor a clear view of your sore throat, a mouth problem, or even a skin problem. “That’s a big one for our urgent care service at Mount Sinai,” says telemedicine expert Brendan Carr, MD, system chair of emergency medicine for the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. “People often call for sore throat, but it’s hard to see back of a throat without a flashlight.”

 A List of Your Medication and Supplements, Health History, and Questions A telemedicine doctor who’s seeing you for the first time can better help you if they know about any chronic health conditions or other important health issues you have, as well as the prescription and over-the-counter drugs and supplements you currently take. It’s also smart to jot down your questions ahead of time, Bishop suggests.

 If you’re seeing your usual doctor via telehealth instead of in-person, be sure to mention any new symptoms you may be having, any new over-the-counter products you may be using, and any prescriptions you need to have refilled.

 Hospitals across the United States have been offering telehealth coronavirus assessments since the pandemic began, says Dr. Carr. However, in-person visits have resumed to some degree. “We still do a lot of telemedicine visits. But now that we understand the virus a bit better, we evaluate patients in real life in a much more traditional way (face-to-face with masks on),” he explains.

 Even now, there are still some benefits to telehealth coronavirus assessments, he notes. “We evaluate lots of people over telemedicine and then refer them for an outpatient test. Telemedicine allows us to deconstruct the traditional visit — the medical evaluation can happen virtually, and then you can swing by a lab and drop off a saliva sample to test for COVID without seeing a doctor again.”

 If you're worried that you might have coronavirus symptoms, which include fever, cough, and shortness of breath, you can also use the free online Coronavirus Self-Checker from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which can’t connect you with a doctor but can help you decide whether to contact one yourself. You can also consult one of the private telemedicine companies offering free online assessments, such as Doctor on Demand.