-
Virtual Town Hall -Preparing For a Telemedicine Appointment
On Friday, May 29, the Pulmonary Hypertension Association(PHA) offers a virtual town hall meeting. This meeting is to provide tips on how to plan for telemedicine appointments. Topics include telemedicine basics, how to prepare for your appointment, and how insurance covers your visit.
Cardiologist John Ryan and nurse practitioner Jennalyn Mayeux will share real-world experiences in delivering this important message to the PH community. COVID-19 has brought about some changes. One of the most important for us in the PH worlds is the way we are now doing virtual appointments with our specialists.
Will you plan to attend? You can register here and send questions before the meeting.
-
7 Replies
-
I’ve registered, and I’ll be there. I can share the things I learn with my son who has PH, but I’m sure I’ll also find this useful for myself.
-
Oh, that is awesome @mamabear007. Whatever you are willing to share with us about the virtual town hall meeting will be appreciated.
-
First, I have to say how excited I was that the guest doctor and NP were both from University of Utah, where my son sees his doctor. While my son’s doctor wasn’t on the meeting, he was mentioned. Woo-hoo!
The meeting was recorded and will soon be found on https://phassociation.org/pha-Connects/. You will be able to find an info sheet and checklist for Telemed visits on this link.
At the beginning, they discussed questions to ask prior to your visit:
* Will your visit be recorded? (some doctors do record, U of U does not).
* Does your insurance company cover Telemed visits? (most will, but call and ask — don’t rely on the booklet your insurance company provided at the beginning of the year, as this is likely out of date).
* The doctor’s office will provide a link for the Telemed visit. You will need a PC with webcam or smart phone. This is so the doctor can see for him/her self how you’re doing. They gave the example of checking for pitted edema.
* Some things will require in person visit (for lab work, RH cath, etc), but if you have an O2 sensor, blood pressure cuff, scale, and thermometer, you will be able to give the doctor most of the information he/she will need about your health.
* You will need a list of current meds, and the doctor will be able to refill many prescriptions during the visit. The exception to this will be the medications that require blood work.
* Tele-Med visits were quite rare before COVID-19 came on the scene. Because of the risk of infection, Telemed appointments are now the norm. The doctor said he hopes patients become more comfortable with Telemed, even after C-19 is no longer a thing.
Many participants asked questions, which they answered. Those will be available on the above link. If you have a chance, I highly recommend watching the recorded video on Tele-Med appointments. I’ve never participated in a Telemed appointment before, and frankly I was quite intimidated by the prospect. I now think I would be less intimidated should it be necessary. Please keep in mind that the above is paraphrased, and not the exact wording, but I think I captured their meaning.
-
Wow, excellent job, @mamabear007. You summarized this in such a way that others will benefit. Thank you for sharing. Although I have had many telemedicine appointments, I find these tips helpful, too.
How cool that your son’s doctor was mentioned. Like the doctor in the town hall, I, too, think that many doctors will continue to offer these appointments after COVID-19.
I will certainly look at the video and see what questions some had. I am grateful that you found this helpful, and thanks again for your excellent notes.
I hope that you are doing well.
-
For those with questions of their own, they can submit them at [email protected]
-
Hey y’all, I just wanted to pop in and share this worksheet that PHA offers as a resource relating to this virtual town hall. It appears that telemedicine will stick around a bit longer, at least for now.
This is a worksheet that you can add notes to have as you prepare for these telemedicine appointments. Has anyone not had a phone or telemedicine appointment yet? If so, will you use this resource? If so, let’s talk about this and what you think is helpful to you.
-
I will make use of tele-medicine if my doctor offers it.
Log in to reply.