eClinicalWorks Blog Details

  • 17 June 2020
  • Blog

How Telehealth Is Connecting Patients & Providers

eClinicalWorks

PatientsandProviders_blog

Telehealth allows doctors and patients to connect from anywhere there is an internet connection and continues to bring people closer together even though they are physically further apart.

Dr. Greg Gelburd, the owner of Downtown Family Health Care in Charlottesville, Virginia, explains how he’s been amazed at how much more personal and relaxed appointments have been — even with patients that he’s been seeing for years.

“When people are sitting in their living room or in their kitchen, sipping coffee and talking with me,” explained Dr. Gelburd, “I find that they’re more open and talk about things that I haven’t been able to reach prior to this.”

Because of a telehealth appointment with a longtime patient who was struggling to control her diabetes and hypertension, Dr. Gelburd was able to determine that the difficulties she was having may stem from her childhood.

“You know it’s surprising that talking to a screen can be so intimate. I made much further progress on that visit than I ever thought was possible,” said Dr. Gelburd.

Dr. Gelburd, although generally a relaxed person, feels even more relaxed providing care to patients from the comfort of his home. He explains that telehealth has been especially useful for patients with kidney failure who need to discuss lab results and talk about lifestyle issues.



Dr. Steve Lamie, a physician at the Thirlby Clinic, has experienced a similar response from his patients. He talks about how telehealth has been a great tool for checking in on patients a day or two after they have experienced heart failure. Telehealth has also been great for chronic care patients.

“When you make these changes, the old way of doing it was, ‘I’ll see you in three months in the office,’ and you just lose so much when you have such a long time for a follow-up,” said Dr. Lamie.

Like Dr. Gelburd, Dr. Lamie has also appreciated the increased feeling of connectedness.

“Certainly, a gratifying thing about telehealth is getting a little glimpse of their living situation, and they give us a little bit of a tour,” said Dr. Lamie. Because of telehealth, Dr. Lamie got a tour of the pond in one patient’s backyard and even discovered that his patient had won numerous Emmy awards.



To start better connecting with your patient base through telehealth, schedule a one-on-one consultation with us today!

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