Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/864048
" I frequently give lectures to doctors on the topic of virtual care. I start by saying that they all already do this ... with friends and family. They treat them over the phone, through messages and using FaceTime. If they do this for the people they love, why not do it for their patients? If they don't think it's an effective way to provide care, then why are they doing it to those they care most about?" • JUDD HOLLANDER, MD, ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR STRATEGIC HEALTH INITIATIVES AT SIDNEY KIMMEL MEDICAL COLLEGE OF THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY At the most basic level, all that telemedicine providers require is for a clinician and patient to have access to a computer, tablet or phone with the ability to connect to the Internet. With these tools at hand, physicians can conduct an examination similar to one they would conduct if the patient were in the exam room. In addition to audio and visua l technolog y, many virtua l care systems work with devices such as integrated stethoscopes and similar medical tools that facilitate remote examinations. "Basica lly, the only things we can't do virtua lly are touch a nd smell the patient, ... a lthough, those [capabilities] a re being developed as we speak," says Randall Moore, MD, MBA, President of Mercy Vir tua l, a vir tua l ca re center based in Chesterfi eld, Missouri. These eŠ orts allow physicians to provide additional care by reducing or eliminating some nonclinica l tasks. "[Virtual care] can add time to a physician's day by eliminat- ing commuting time," says Judd Hollander, MD, Associate Dean for Strategic Hea lth Initiatives at Sidney Kimmel Medica l College of Thomas JeŠ erson University. "If we're going to travel four hours to get to a rura l clinic and now we don't have to, ... we can free up what we like to refer to as nonproductive time and change it into productive time." Virtua l care a lso reduces the strain on hospita l resources by treating patients before their symptoms result in a costly hospital admission and may even expedite emergency, in-person care when a virtua l encounter is not appropriate. "Telemedicine is not for everyone and not for every [medical] complaint, but we're big believers in ma king it available and letting people choose whether or not they wa nt to use it," Dr. Hollander says. "Some conditions you should never use telemedicine for — l i ke a hea r t attack. H o w e v e r, . . . i f some one i s h a v i n g c h e s t pain, they can call me in 15 minutes for a virtual appointment. It takes that same person three hours to decide to go to the ER. By treating remotely, I could potentia lly get them to the right place severa l hours faster tha n they would on their own." WORKING IN TANDEM There a re indications that vir tua l ca re supplements ca re provided during face-to-face medical visits. Derrickson notes statistics showing three-fi f ths of vir tua l-ca re visits with Ca rena providers ta ke place a f ter reg ula r physicia n o© ce hours or on weekends, for instance. Telemedicine technologies are not altering the fundamentals of patient care nor undermining the vita l role of physicians in delivering that care, according to Dr. Moore. "The conversation isn't about telemedicine and virtual care," he says. "It 's about ca re. Front a nd center to a ll ca re is the doctor. If virtual care is just a part of care and doctors lead care, we're fi rm believers that doctors will embrace this and rea lly show the power of what can be done with this technolog y." ■ 1 5 M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S C E N T R A L N E W Y O R K ■ 2 017