How to Use Telehealth Services During the COVID-19 Outbreak and Beyond?

If you've ever used a patient portal to submit a health query to your primary care provider, you've already experienced telehealth. Telehealth, also known as "telemedicine" or "internet health care," allows patients to receive care from a distance using electronic information systems.

Originally, telemedicine provided treatment through the telephone system, such as a Dial-a-Nurse line. Today, telehealth refers to a wide variety of electronic delivery systems, including live video calls, mobile health (also known as Cura Health) applications, online appointments, and secure text or email messaging.

Many healthcare providers are advising patients not to visit a doctor's office or an urgent care clinic unless absolutely necessary during the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic, since the disease spreads quickly from person to person. Telehealth services could be a safer, more effective way to access initial treatment for mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms or any disease.

Who Will Take Advantage of Virtual Health Services?

Telehealth facilities are now available to almost everyone with a mobile or laptop computer. Telehealth patients can be classified into one of four groups:

Commercial Health Insurance Holders
Telehealth services are offered by several health insurers as a member value. To find out if this is the case for you, contact your plan provider. Telemedicine services provided by an insurance provider are often provided at no cost to members.

Online visits (you fill out a form detailing your symptoms and receive an email from a doctor), video visits, and phone consultations are all popular telehealth services offered by insurers. In order for the virtual visit to be protected, your insurer will have a proprietary mobile app or online interface that you must use.

Beneficiaries of Medicare

Medicare users will also be able to use telehealth services. Congress waived some of the limitations on telehealth reimbursement for Medicare beneficiaries as part of the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020. This does not guarantee that anyone on Medicare will be eligible to access virtual health care as a benefit; among other things, a reimbursable telehealth visit must provide a video portion (in addition to audio) and be performed by a doctor with whom the patient has a prior relationship.

If you have Medicare, check with your doctor's office to see if virtual health services will be available under the new guidelines.

If you have a Medicare Advantage package, check with your plan administrator to see if telehealth is included in your coverage.

Medicaid Beneficiaries
Each state has its own policies on the types of Medicaid-covered healthcare services. For Medicaid recipients, every state and the District of Columbia currently cover live video visits. Check with your provider's office to see if these forms of visits are available and how to get them.

People Who Do Not Have Health Insurance
Uninsured citizens can also use a private-pay service to get telehealth services. On a cash basis, these programmes typically offer live video visits with a healthcare professional. There are hundreds of mobile applications available on both the Google Play and Apple App stores that can connect you with a doctor, nurse, psychologist, or other clinician in seconds for a fee. Each service sets its own rates, so you should know ahead of time how much a virtual visit will cost.

People with benefits will also get medical services from these private-pay providers. Your insurance coverage does not cover the expense, and the provider's notes are unlikely to become part of your medical record at your primary care provider or insurance company. Some citizens are willing to pay money in order to achieve this level of privacy.

When Should Telehealth Be Considered?
An initial telehealth visit can effectively diagnose several less-severe symptoms in adults and children, whether or not they are linked to COVID-19. These are some of the signs and conditions:

• Mouth lesions such as canker sores, cold sores, and other mouth lesions
• Chickenpox is a disease that affects chickens (varicella zoster virus)
• Conjunctivitis (also known as "pink eye") is a condition that affects the eyes.
• Symptoms of the common cold, measles, and allergies
• Diarrhea or constipation
• I'm coughing
• It's a fever
• Migraine is a form of headache.
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and heartburn (GERD)
• Bites from insects
• Sprains and other minor injuries
• Urination that hurts
• Some skin disorders, such as rashes
• Pain and pressure in the sinuses
• Throat irritation

You can use our printable Doctor Discussion Guide to help you plan for your virtual appointment if you think you may have COVID-19 symptoms.

Based on their interview with you and the visual symptoms of your disease, the healthcare professional performing the virtual visit could be able to diagnose and manage your condition. A virtual visit, on the other hand, is often used as a triage method, allowing the healthcare provider to guide you to a specific course of action:

• Please come to the office.
• Visit an urgent care facility.
• Visit a hospital emergency department.
• Visit an outpatient X-ray centre or a laboratory.

When it comes to COVID-19, telehealth allows the doctor to assess your symptoms without actually spreading the infection to a waiting room full of people. If your doctor thinks you've been infected with COVID-19, he or she will refer you to a testing centre and give you instructions for treatment.

People in high-risk groups (immunocompromised, elderly, or pregnant) should miss the virtual visit and call their doctor's office for advice about what to do if they experience a fever, cough, or shortness of breath, which are the three classic signs of a COVID-19 infection.

And people who are considered low-risk should seek emergency medical help if they suspect they are infected with COVID-19 and are experiencing the following symptoms:

• Pain or pressure in the chest
• Confusion, delirium, or trouble waking someone up from a nap Severe shortness of breath or breathing difficulty
• The lips are turning blue.

In addition to COVID-19, someone experiencing severe or potentially life-threatening symptoms should call 911 for emergency medical help rather than relying on telehealth. Here are a few examples of such signs and symptoms:

• Some symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain.
• Breathing problems
• Convulsions
• Stroke symptoms include one-sided fatigue, facial drooping, and other symptoms.
• Broken bones are suspected.
• Changes in mental state that aren't described, such as fainting or being delirious.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, terror, anxiety, depression, and confusion are common. Telehealth will also assist you in taking care of your mental health when you are at home. Find out about the best online counselling services for you.

Is Telehealth a viable option for refilling prescriptions?
A healthcare professional might be allowed to issue new prescriptions or refill existing ones during a virtual visit, depending on the situation and state prescribing laws. And if your insurer provides it, not all forms of medications would be qualified for this programme. The following drugs are unlikely to be available via telehealth services:

• Medications for mental disorders
• Agents used in chemotherapy
• Benzodiazepines are narcotic pain relievers.

During a virtual visit, you might be able to receive new prescriptions or refills for other forms of drugs. Here are a few examples:

• Allergy medications
• Antacids are antacids that are used to treat
• Antibiotics are drugs that are used to treat infections.
• Eye drops are used to treat conditions such as conjunctivitis.
• Shampoos with medicinal ingredients
• Non-narcotic analgesics
• Lotions and creams for the skin

If you are worried about visiting your provider's office for regular prescription refills during the COVID-19 outbreak, contact the office to see if these refills can be obtained through telehealth.

Cura Health's Message
While the COVID-19 epidemic could be driving today's widespread acceptance of telehealth and virtual visits, telemedicine's simplicity makes it a simple choice to use for mild to moderate symptoms much of the time. Why take a half-day off work to drive to a doctor's office and wait in a crowded waiting room when you can actually call a doctor from the comfort of your own home or office using your mobile, tablet, or laptop?

Telehealth can well reflect the future of healthcare delivery for adults and children in the post-coronavirus environment due to its simplicity, accessibility, and—for many people—affordability.