I struggled this week to find anything to write about that was NOT about the Coronavirus. That’s all anyone is talking about. In healthcare, it dominates every waking thought.
Something that you’re probably hearing more and more about is Telehealth. It has been around before we had ever heard about Covid-19, but this pandemic has certainly brought it to the public consciousness.
What is Telehealth? Most simply put, it is the delivery of healthcare when the provider and the patient are in different locations, usually using a computer or a cell phone to communicate.
Before Covid-19, it was most often discussed in really remote locations. Colleagues in Montana, where lots of people live many miles from the nearest neighbor and even further from health care providers, have been doing Telehealth for years.
It has been addressed in the Tennessee legislature in the past and would likely have come up this year if the legislature hadn’t been sent home early. Fortunately, Governor Lee has relaxed restrictions on Telehealth and opened doors that needed to be opened.
The Coronavirus pandemic has brought Telehealth up to an all new level. It has become an essential part of healthcare delivery. It is allowing those most vulnerable among us to get the care that they need without having to leave the safety of their homes.
There’s a good chance that your Primary Care Physician (PCP) is utilizing Telehealth. I know the orthopedists are. In some ways, it is the only way to deliver much needed medical care. In physical therapy, we are using it to follow up with patients who can no longer come to our offices and to work with new patients without ever being in the same physical location as them.
Please understand that this is still healthcare and there is a charge for the service. For many practitioners, it is their only source of income. The state and federal governments have changed the rules about Telehealth reimbursement and there’s a good chance that your insurance will pay for Telehealth services.
On a different note, I saw something this week that resonated with me. This writer was asking people to be less judgmental. It hit home when someone I know was being critical of a man getting mulch at the local garden store. She thought it was unnecessary and irresponsible.
But this writer had a different opinion. He said that guy getting mulch might be an alcoholic who is stuck at home and has to keep busy with yardwork to avoid a relapse. Or the lady buying flowers who suffers from depression and working in her flower garden is what keeps her safe and sane.
You see, we can’t judge others in all this. I really struggled with stopping bike riding with a group. It is one of the things that keep me sane during a time when the Coronavirus has taken away a lot of the other things that keep me sane. But my concern for others means I now ride alone. I have friends that are still doing the group rides and that’s OK. I refuse to judge them.
I caught myself yesterday judging a grandfather and his grandson. They were in a store where the employees had taken very few precautions—no masks, no social distancing. And yet they were there, walking together, without masks. I had to stop and remind myself not to judge them. Was the grandfather not concerned about exposing his grandson to Coronavirus? That was hard.
It all boils down to the fact that we just need to love each other. Respect each other. Walk in somebody’s shoes before you criticize. But please, please, please do your part to stop this thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment