Why Telehealth?

When thinking of telehealth and virtual healthcare visits, it can easily be overwhelming. Due to occupational therapy telehealth being relatively new, it’s hard to comprehend if a medical provider can get enough and accurate information to provide one with the utmost ethical care, as well as provide one with quality healthcare. 

Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, healthcare was uprooted and forever changed with the way we operate, see patients, and conduct care. The pandemic shifted care from in-person to utilizing telehealth providers, thus adjusting the paradigm of healthcare. 

With a simple internet connection; both audio and visual connection, you can be talking to your healthcare provider without ever leaving your living room. This brings immediate communication and access to healthcare. A healthcare provider will provide the patient with a HIPAA compliant access to a portal that is safe to use, while protecting the patient's healthcare information and any private information. 

Telehealth has truly changed the way healthcare has been conducted. Allowing access to those in rural communities, such as those in rural WNC. Allowing people with transportation issues to have access to healthcare, talk to their doctors about their healthcare concerns, and receive evaluations for things such as equipment (wheelchairs and other mobility devices) without ever having to leave their home. 

Prior to telehealth, patients would have to drive to, sit and wait in a waiting room, wait for their health care provider, get just a few minutes with their provider, and then head home. Not only was this cumbersome and time consuming, but medical providers have high productivity standards, where patient care was diminished. Being able to perform telehealth allows patients and healthcare providers to slow down and spend more time with what matters, the patient and their overall health. 

Telehealth is an easy, convenient, and ethical way to practice medicine. A healthcare provider will continue to operate with their utmost ethical guidelines, and if they feel they need to see you in person, in-person options are still available. However, telehealth can be a more convenient and cost-effective alternative to the ever changing healthcare system. 

Telehealth has personally allowed me access to many patients across multiple states, who, without telehealth capabilities, would not have had access to healthcare. Insurance companies both federally and at the state level recognize and pay for telehealth as a safe and effective way to perform healthcare.