Barking Dogs and Pristine Patios: How Telemedicine is Actually Quite Personal
Patrick Hall • April 13, 2020
The COVID 19 crisis has made all of us change our work and daily patterns of life. The Louisiana Department of Health
has mandated that all healthcare providers limit in person patient encounters to urgent and emergent cases only. For my Baton Rouge podiatry (foot and ankle)
practice this means treating infections, injuries and post operative patients in-person when necessary. In order to continue to help non-urgent patients suffering from foot pain I’ve been performing Telemedicine visits for roughly two weeks. During that time I’ve conducted roughly 30 virtual appointments using Zoom and FaceTime. So far I’ve been impressed with how well the format works.
How do you schedule a Telemedicine appointment?
Contact the Bone and Joint Clinic of Baton Rouge
either through our website www.bjcbr.com
or www.patrickhalldpm.com
or call the appointment desk at 225-766-0050. When you request a telemedicine appointment, you’ll be given the option of using Zoom or FaceTime. Both work well, but FaceTime only works with Apple devices. For Zoom you’ll be given an appointment time and prior to that appointment you’ll receive and email with an appointment link. You’ll need to download the Zoom app and create an account. When you click the appointment link you’ll be placed in a virtual waiting room and you’ll be invited in at the scheduled time. For FaceTime you’ll simply be called at the appointed time. FaceTime is being allowed temporarily during this crisis, but will probably not qualify in the future because it doesn’t meet the usual HIPPA guidelines for patient information security.
What should you expect from your Telemedicine appointment?
The Subjective component of the exam is essentially the same as an in-person office visit. You tell me what’s hurting, if there was an injury, how long it has been hurting and what types of treatment you have tried. I’ll ask any additional questions needed to gain more information. For the Physical exam, it works best if the patient is holding a tablet or smart phone rather than a desktop computer. A tablet or smart phone makes it easier for a patient to show me what is hurting, where its hurting, and I can see if the area is swollen, red or bruised. With this information I can put together one or more reasonable initial diagnoses. I can call in medications if needed and make recommendations for how to treat your condition without requiring in person contact. I can also help determine if your condition does qualify as urgent or emergent.
What is the experience of Telemedicine like?
I really feel like the overall experience of Telemedicine is quite personal. Funny things happen during a visit that make it interesting and feel familiar: dogs bark, doorbells ring and children pass through the background unintentionally. Some patients are set up in their kitchen or bedroom, but the most common area seems to be the back patio. It is funny, when a patient selects “flip” on their smart phone or tablet to show you their foot or ankle you end up looking around the room for a minute while they point the device in the correct direction. Some of the backyards are gorgeous, some of the kitchens are messy, but you actually get a better sense of the patient as a person and what their current situation is—not in a judgy way, but in a very personal way.
What does the future hold for Telemedicine?
When the COVID 19 crisis ends some of things will go back to the way they were, and other things will be changed forever. I’m of the belief that Telemedicine will be a great way to modernize healthcare, save patients waiting room time and provide tremendous value. I fully plan to continue Telemedicine after this crisis ends.
After 17 years of providing expert foot and ankle care at The Bone and Joint Clinic of Baton Rouge, Dr. Patrick Hall is excited to announce the opening of his new independent practice, Hall Podiatry.
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