What is telemedicine?
Before telemedicine came onto the scene, patients looking to see certain types of doctors who did not operate in their own communities would have to drive to other practices or hospitals, sometimes hours away, or wait until the physicians could visit them. Now, there’s an easier way to access specialized treatment and care: telemedicine.
Dr. John Goldman, an infectious disease and internal medicine specialist with PinnacleHealth, explains telemedicine in this way: “You are seeing your doctor over the computer. You’re seeing them on a screen so that they can talk to you. You’re seeing them so that you can ask them questions. The optics on the screen are extremely good…In addition, telemedicine allows you to listen to the patient. It has a stethoscope so you can really see the patient, talk to the patient, examine the patient. It’s like seeing your doctor without having them quite there in the room.”
Goldman emphasizes telemedicine allows smaller communities to access the types of medical resources bigger cities have.
“It’s a way for hospitals that are in more remote, more rural areas to gain access to specialists, [and] gain access to doctors who couldn’t necessarily get there on a regular basis.”
Besides seeing patients throughout the greater Harrisburg area, Goldman also uses telemedicine to assess patients from hours away whom he normally wouldn’t see.
“I see 10, as many as 20 patients a week at both Fulton County Medical Center and J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital in Huntingdon County…For example, in Fulton County, very often I see patients in their wound centers, and it’s really like just being there.”
Goldman says his experience in telemedicine ranges from assessing and treating more common ailments – including the flu, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and wound care – to more rare illnesses – such as Lyme disease, Hepatitis C, and HIV. He says one of his most unusual cases came from someone who had been traveling abroad.
“I’ve seen African tick bite fever in someone who had just returned from Africa. When he was in Africa, they said, ‘Oh, yeah, we see this all the time. This is what it is.’ In fact, we presented at a conference because we so rarely see it here. If we were in Africa, we’d see it every day.”
Goldman adds the use of telemedicine is relatively inexpensive, compared to the higher rates of additional visits and tests.
“If you see me by telemedicine consultation, the most you’re on the hook for is $100, $200. It’s going to be the cheapest part of your visit. Clearly, $100, $200 is a lot of money, but compared to the rest of the medical costs you might incur, it’s not a lot.”
In addition, telemedicine is a newer arena for insurance providers, so rates may vary.
Ultimately, Goldman thinks telemedicine will become one of the next big waves in medicine.
“I think it’s going to be increasingly used just because it’ll be the most efficient way to deliver care. You have to get and see a patient, make a decision right away, it’s much easier to remote in to a robot than it is to get into your car, hope there’s no traffic, and come to the hospital…This isn’t to replace a face to face conversation, this isn’t to replace your family doctor, but there are a lot of times when it’s really a good option to bring in extra specialists, expertise or to make decisions quickly.”
