Paramount Advantage Medicaid
Tips for ensuring a successful telemedicine visit with a patient
Dee Ann Bialecki-Haase MD, MBA, CPE
Chief Medical Officer, Paramount
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has made us all think about the way we interact with others. As a health care provider at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), your role is particularly challenging as you try to maintain quality one-on-one patient care and practice social distancing.
Telehealth is one tool that can help with that. Now may be the right time to practice more telemedicine at your FQHC. As part of our state’s response to COVID-19, Gov. Mike DeWine, the Ohio Department of Medicaid and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services have relaxed rules around telehealth.
The emergency rules ease restrictions on the types of technologies and interactions that can be used for telehealth services. It also expands the list of eligible providers who can provide them. (You can find the complete emergency action here)
My family medicine practice in Perrysburg is definitely using it more – especially telephonic visits. Patients find great comfort in being able to talk with a provider from the privacy of their home and receive timely medical advice to maintain their health during this crisis. It has also allowed me to keep appointments with patients who are most at risk for getting COVID-19 without them having to experience potential exposure to the virus in the office. And, during these uncertain days, it has given me the opportunity to reassure patients.
Over the past three years of practicing telemedicine, I have learned a few things. I hope these tips will help you in your practice as well.
• Relax and try not to rush the visit
• Take a thorough history
• Have the patient and family help with the exam. Patients can take photos and upload them to the site. And, they can palpate areas like their neck and sinuses.
If you are new to telehealth, it’s important to carefully review and understand the rules established through Emergency Action 5160-1-21, “Telehealth in a State of Emergency.” Other resources include your compliance department and the health plan networks in which you participate.
