TELEHEALTH The Telehealth Revolution

The Telehealth Revolution

By Ned Ketyer, MD.

It only took a global pandemic to jump-start an idea — resisted for so long by medical providers, health insurers, and patients — and make it a reality. But with great speed and little fanfare, telehealth — the electronic, virtual health visit — has arrived, and it is here to stay.

What is telehealth?

Telehealth involves the use of technology to provide clinical services to our patients without an in-person visit. This will allow your child to be evaluated by one of our pediatric providers by extending your medical home beyond our office walls, to meet you where you are and provide the care you need.

Why is AHN Pediatrics – Pediatric Alliance adding telehealth services?

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused our providers to incorporate new ways to ensure our patients, their caregivers, and our office staff are protected from picking up and spreading the virus. Telehealth allows patients and parents to freely interact with their chosen provider to receive the best pediatric care that they have come to expect. Dr. Joe Aracri, AHN Pediatrics – Pediatric Alliance Greentree conducts a telehealth visit on March 31, 2020.

How will telehealth work at my pediatrician’s office?

Parents and caregivers are encouraged to call the office if they have important questions or concerns about their child. Most of these questions and concerns will be handled by our well-trained phone triage staff during regular office hours, and all of these calls will be reviewed by a provider, just as they always have been. This is not a telehealth visit.

In case questions are complex, or are of the type that usually result in scheduling an in-person office visit with one of our providers, a virtual telehealth visit will be offered instead in order to comply with appropriate “social distancing” strategies to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 infections by keeping you and your child safely at home. After the parent or caregiver consents to a virtual visit, a telehealth visit will be scheduled with a provider during regular office hours.

Dr. Susie Saunders (Arcadia) takes a call in your medical home.

Can every problem be evaluated in a telehealth visit?

While a large number of pediatric conditions can be evaluated and resolved by a telehealth visit with a provider, there are others that must be seen in person in order to adequately provide the best care to your child. When you call the office, you can speak with our triage staff and discuss which type of visit is most appropriate.

Examples of what qualifies for a telehealth visit include: > Asthma followup > ADHD > Anxiety/depression > Behavioral/developmental concerns > Cold symptoms/sinusitis > Concussion > Conjunctivitis (pink eye) > Croup > Feeding concerns and reflux > Gastrointestinal issues — vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation > Headache > Injuries (some) > Rashes (most) and eczema > Worried well — for reassurance.

Our policy for prescribing antibiotics over the phone are the same in a virtual visit: We cannot prescribe antibiotics without evaluating a child in the office for conditions such as: > Ear pain > Throat complaints, which may need a strep culture > Pneumonia or wheezing or respiratory distress > Urinary complaints which may need a urine culture

We also cannot conduct telehealth visits for the following: > Well-Child Check-ups > Newborn weight checks > Jaundice

How do I schedule a telehealth visit?

> Call your AHN Pediatrics office as you normally would. Our triage staff will screen your concerns to determine the type of service needed: phone advice, telehealth, or in-person visit > If the concern is eligible for a telehealth visit, you will schedule an Dr. Aleksandra Grudziak (Greentree) can see you now — virtually! appointment and will be provided with instructions. > Please remember that not all issues can be addressed with telehealth technology. Some issues will require an exam or testing in the office, and we will not prescribe antibiotics over the phone. > You will need a telephone line, smart phone and/or video capability for this visit. (**Note: we are currently expanding our technology capabilities so some of these instructions may vary as we move forward. Our scheduling staff will walk you through the process.) > The provider will call the number you provide at the scheduled appointment time. > Please make sure that you and your child are in a private, quiet, comfortable, well-lit space at that time. If using video, please utilize your WiFi if at all possible for a better connection. > Please weigh your child and take their temperature prior to the visit and have this information ready for the provider. > Rest assured that we are here for your family. Please see our website for updated information and other important resources with reliable information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and telehealth services.

Reminder for parents with newborn babies:

Please be sure to call your AHN Pediatrics-Pediatric Alliance office to schedule your newborn appointment with your pediatrician as soon as you and your baby are discharged from the hospital. During this COVID-19 outbreak, our morning appointments are limited to well baby visits for patients 18 months old and under so we can do our best to allow our most vulnerable little ones to be in the office without any risk of exposure to sick patients. Dr. Susie Saunders (Arcadia) takes a call in your medical home.

How are telehealth visits paid for?

> These visits will be billed to your insurance, just as your in-person office visit would be. Typically, the cost you are responsible for depends largely on your insurance coverage. However, most insurance carriers have indicated their intent to temporarily waive patient cost-share in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, we are not collecting any amount for your telehealth care at the time of service. Specific questions about your benefits or coverage should be directed to your insurance carrier.

During this period of uncertainty and concern regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, our most important priority is to keep our patients and families healthy and safe by keeping them home whenever possible. By providing these new telehealth options to our menu of services, we wish to work with you and continue to provide the very best care to your children in your medical home, AHN Pediatrics — Pediatric Alliance!

Patients and Families: As part of our COVID-19 response we are making some temporary changes to our after-hours care protocols, with the goal of reducing the need for our patients to visit urgent care centers during evenings and weekends. Effective Monday, April 20, 2020, AHN Pediatrics began offering a limited number of telehealth visits with our Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants for patients calling after hours with urgent, acute symptoms that don’t require an emergency room visit, but that cannot wait until the next day. When a patient calls their AHN Pediatrics office after hours, one of our pediatric triage nurses will review their symptoms and determine the appropriate course of action. Some concerns can be addressed by the nurse over the phone. Other non-urgent concerns may be sent to the patient’s regular AHN Pediatrics office for follow-up the next business day.

After hours telehealth appointments are being scheduled as follows: Monday through Friday from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM; Saturday from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM and Sunday from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Our staffing is limited during these hours, so we ask that you call your regular AHN Pediatrics office during normal business hours regarding any non-urgent issues or symptoms or that arise earlier in the day. These hours are subject to change. As always, we will keep you updated should any changes arise.