10-25-2020 Aging Resource Guide - Flipbook - Page 24
TELEMEDICINE
A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO
USING TELEMEDICINE
One of the challenging aspects of the COVID-19
pandemic is that social distancing and stayat-home orders have made it more difficult to
have a face-to-face meeting with your doctor.
For many physicians and patients, the remedy
is increasingly telemedicine: the ability to
remotely connect with a health care provider in
real time, often over video, and sometimes via
telephone, email, app or online patient portal.
While telemedicine isn’t new — it’s been
deployed, for example, to connect rural patients
with distant health care services or providers
or to monitor ongoing conditions like diabetes
— its use has spiked dramatically during the
current crisis.
Telemedicine or telehealth — the terms are
often used interchangeably — isn’t a perfect
solution for every wellness-related scenario.
A medical emergency or a case too difficult to
diagnose from afar still requires a visit to the
doctor or hospital.
The protocol for arranging telemedicine
sessions varies by location, by practice specialty
and by your ongoing history with a physician.
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Here are some common steps and tips to
prepare for such a virtual visit.
1. Make sure you are tech-ready.
You will need a decent smartphone, tablet
or PC for a remote consultation, along with a
reliable broadband or cellular connection to
the internet, especially for video.
2. Check your insurance.
Not every private insurer will cover
telemedicine sessions in every locale, and the
type of coverage varies among those that do.
States have different regulations. Consult your
provider to find out what’s covered under your
plan.
Medicare can pay for telehealth services to treat
COVID-19 and “other medically reasonable
purposes,” from common office visits to mental
health consultations. Typical coinsurance and
deductibles apply, though some providers are
reducing or waiving them for such services.
But it is always important to call your insurer
to make sure that telehealth is covered under
your plan.
2020 – 2021 Carroll County Bureau of Aging & Disabilities Resource Guide