As the vaccination of older adults against COVID-19 begins across the country, new poll data suggests that many of them don’t yet have access to the “patient portal” online systems that could make it much easier for them to schedule a vaccination appointment. In all, 45% of adults aged 65 to 80 had not set up an account with their health provider’s portal system.
Tag: Telemedicine
COVID forced psychiatric care online. Many patients want it to stay there, study finds
A new study suggests that more than half of outpatient psychiatry patients whose appointments were suddenly converted to video or phone interactions by the pandemic will want to keep going with virtual mental health care even after the pandemic subsides. The convenience of seeing a provider without leaving home, and avoiding potential exposure to the coronavirus, factor heavily into this preference. So does a patient’s initial experience with seeing a provider virtually.
Significant Disparities in Telemedicine Use, Especially Among Older and Non-White Patients
Older people as well as minorities, non-English speakers and those with lower incomes face inequities in accessing telemedicine care amid COVID-19
People in Rural Areas Less Likely to Receive Specialty Care for Neurologic Conditions
A new study has found that while the prevalence of neurologic conditions like dementia, stroke, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis (MS) is consistent across the U.S., the distribution of neurologists is not, and people in more rural areas may be less likely to receive specialty care for certain neurologic conditions. The study, funded by the American Academy of Neurology, is published in the December 23, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Story Tips from Johns Hopkins Experts on Covid-19
Vaccines that prevent infection by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, are being rolled out around the world. Below are five things about vaccine science of which you may be unaware. Additionally, here is a video about how vaccines are determined safe.
Virtual Doctor Visits are Increasing, but Use Differs by Patient Race, Age and Insurance, Study Finds
A new study out of UChicago Medicine published December 4, 2020, in the journal JMIR Medical Informatics examines the increase in telemedicine visits due to the COVID-19 pandemic and recommends adopting policies that encourage virtual visits going forward.
Telemedicine Use During COVID-19 Shows Access Disparity Among Head and Neck Cancer Patients
Retrospective research by Henry Ford otolaryngologists found telemedicine use disparity among head and neck cancer patients during start of COVID-19 pandemic.
How Are Older Adults Coping With the Mental Health Effects of COVID-19?
Highlights
• Recent studies indicate that older adults may be withstanding the mental health strains of the COVID-19 pandemic better than other age groups
• A combination of factors may contribute to this resiliency
• Access to technology, and the ability to use it, are likely key
Show Rates for Asthma Visits During COVID-19 Increased Thanks to Telemedicine
A new study being presented at this year’s virtual ACAAI Annual Scientific Meeting reveals that “show rates” for children with asthma – how often parents brought their kids to an appointment rather than being a “no show” – increased with the use of telemedicine during four months of the pandemic.
From 84 Days to 5 Hours: Telemedicine Reduces Dermatology Consult Time
Allowing primary care doctors to take photos and send them to dermatologists improved access to specialty care
Telemedicine Reduces Cancellations and No-Shows for Rheumatology Care During COVID in Large Ohio Health System
New research presented at ACR Convergence, the American College of Rheumatology’s annual meeting, shows that expanded use of telemedicine during COVID-19 improved cancellation rates, no-shows and completed medical visits for rheumatology ambulatory clinics in one large Ohio health system.
Heart Failure Patients With COVID-19 Nearly Twice as Likely to Die and at Triple the Risk of Intubation Compared to Those Without Pre-Existing Heart Condition
Results may lead to closer monitoring of heart failure patients in hospital and at home
November 2020 highlights from AJPH
Highlights from AJPH November issue.
CLEVELAND CLINIC UNVEILS TOP 10 MEDICAL INNOVATIONS FOR 2021
An up-and-coming gene therapy for blood disorders. A new class of medications for cystic fibrosis. Increased access to telemedicine. These are some of the innovations that will enhance healing and change healthcare in the coming year, according to a distinguished panel of clinicians and researchers from Cleveland Clinic.
In conjunction with the 2020 Medical Innovation Summit, Cleveland Clinic announced the Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2021.
Telemedicine saves chronic pain patients time and money
Patients who saw a pain medicine specialist via telemedicine saved time and money and were highly satisfied with their experience, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2020 annual meeting.
Study Highlights Shortcomings in Telemedicine Despite Large Increases in Remote Consults During Covid-19 Pandemic
Despite increased use of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans have had significantly fewer consultations with primary care doctors and markedly fewer assessments of common cardiac risk factors.
“There’s No Place Like Home” for Rehab After Stroke
Stroke patients who get professional rehabilitation training in their homes through live video consultations may recover their motor skills better than those who do their rehab in person with a therapist at an outpatient rehabilitation facility, according to a study published in the September 30, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Remote rehabilitation may also promote greater brain connectivity, the study said.
How to Improve the Surgery Backlog During COVID-19
A new paper suggests three solutions to addressing the backlog of non-urgent surgeries delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Story Tips from Johns Hopkins Experts on COVID-19
Front-line Worker Story: Ebony Hunter — Teamwork Will Get Us Through
It seems there will never be enough “thank-you’s” for the incredible doctors, nurses, technicians and support staff members who are working around the clock to help patients who have COVID-19, the dangerous coronavirus disease. Their dedication, determination and spirit enable Johns Hopkins to deliver the promise of medicine.
Just in time for children returning to school this fall, Baylor Scott & White Health has launched an at-home monitoring service for children diagnosed with COVID-19.
Just in time for children returning to school this fall, Baylor Scott & White Health has launched an at-home monitoring service for children diagnosed with COVID-19. The service has been offered for adults since April. If you are interested in…
NAU nursing program wins federal grant aimed at increasing access to telehealth care on Navajo Nation, other rural areas
Nursing professor Anna Schwartz is the PI on the two-year grant, which will fund increased simulation-based education for health care providers. The education will be focused on improving treatment for obesity, diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease and behavioral and mental health care.
Virtual house calls: Telemedicine brings the doctor to you
About a month into the COVID-19 quarantine, Kelley and Thomas McCord and their one-year-old son, Thomas, had their first telemedicine visit with John E. Herzenberg, M.D., FRCSC, FAAOS, director of pediatric orthopedics at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore.
Poll: Telehealth visits have skyrocketed for older adults, but some concerns & barriers remain
One in four older Americans had a virtual medical visit in the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic, most of them by video, a new telehealth poll finds. That’s much higher than the 4% of people over 50 who said they had ever had a virtual visit with a doctor in a similar poll taken in 2019.
Will the COVID-19 pandemic give a permanent boost to telemedicine for epilepsy care?
Telemedicine for epilepsy care is more popular than ever. It has many advantages—but can it sustain itself into the future?
Big Opportunity for Telemedicine Emerges from COVID-19 Crisis
Phillip Phan, the Alonzo and Virginia Decker Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, discusses promising developments in the field of telemedicine – developments that, ironically, may have been sped up by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Dermatologists honored for pioneering teledermatology in the U.S. Army
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) has named board-certified dermatologists Hon Pak, MD, FAAD, MBA, and Darryl Hodson, MD, FAAD, as Patient Care Heroes for their work launching the country’s first robust teledermatology project two decades ago.
Telemedicine helps Missouri dermatologist detect melanoma
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) has named board-certified dermatologist Kari Lyn Martin, MD, FAAD, a Patient Care Hero for using telemedicine to diagnose and remove a patient’s melanoma the same day.
Barriers to addiction care fell because of COVID-19, experts say; now the challenge is keeping them down
The opioid epidemic didn’t go away when the coronavirus pandemic began. But rapid changes in regulations and guidance could also help many more people get care for addiction, experts say. They caution that it will take more changes to truly lower barriers that stand in the way of delivering evidence-based addiction care to more people via telemedicine.
ACR Releases Position Statement on Telemedicine
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has released an official position statement supporting the role of telemedicine as a tool with the potential to increase access and improve care for patients with rheumatic diseases. It also highlights the significant barriers and opportunities presented to patients and rheumatology professionals.
FCC Grant to Expand UVA Health’s COVID-19 Telehealth Care
The Federal Communications Commission awarded UVA Health $767,139 this week to expand UVA’s use of telehealth for patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 Collaboration Reducing Infections in Long-Term Care Facilities
A collaborative program developed at UVA Health to work with local long-term care facilities to control COVID-19 is saving lives and offers a model for communities across the country, a new scientific paper reports.
Survey: In Vermont, Pandemic’s Impact Falling Disproportionately on Lower Income Groups
High percentages of Vermonters agree with the state’s pandemic-inspired social distancing measures and have complied with them. But their actions have come at a significant economic cost, especially for low income Vermonters, one of several ways this group has been disproportionately affected.
Telemedicine Proven Effective Means of Monitoring Patients in Large Pediatric Neurology Network
As the COVID-19 pandemic sent entire communities into lockdown, doctors quickly adopted telehealth strategies without knowing whether they would be effective or feasible. Now, a new study from the Division of Neurology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) shows that for pediatric neurology care, the transition was very successful even in a short period of time and may provide guidance on the future of pediatric care after the pandemic subsides.
During COVID-19, Telehealth Reconnects Patients with Health Care Providers
During COVID-19, UC San Diego Health expanded telehealth to provide patients with safe and convenient access to appointments with their health care providers. Video visits expanded by more than 50-fold.
During Virtual Hill Visits, Rheumatology Leaders Urge Lawmakers to Provide Targeted COVID-19 Relief for Healthcare Practices
In virtual meetings with lawmakers and on Twitter tomorrow, physician and health professional leaders from the American College of Rheumatology are sounding the alarm about the economic impact of COVID-19 on rheumatology practices and the urgent need for targeted relief to help specialty practices remain solvent and continue to serve patients.
Rush University Medical Center Reopens Elective Surgery and Outpatient Services
Rush University Medical Center, one of the nation’s most highly rated hospitals for quality and safety, has taken a series of innovative measures that strategically balance patient needs with science and safety as it resumes normal operations.
Artificial Intelligence Algorithm Can Rapidly Detect Severity of Common Blinding Eye Disease
A new artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm developed by researchers at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai (NYEE) can rapidly and accurately detect age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of vision loss in the United States.
Innovative Communication System Protects Health Professionals Treating Infectious Disease Patients
Physician-scientists have developed a communication management system built on a telemedicine platform that can help minimize the exposure of health care professionals to highly infectious diseases while still providing personalized patient care, according to a new report published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
Cancer Doesn’t Wait: Seek Care for Symptoms
During the COVID-19 pandemic, most people aren’t hesitating to call their physicians when they experience coronavirus symptoms, but cancer symptoms are not creating the same sense of urgency for medical help. Cedars-Sinai experts encourage anyone who suspects they might have cancer to get in touch with their physician, as the use of telemedicine or other physical-distancing tools will allow them to get medical help immediately.
Mount Sinai Works With Google Nest to Help Patients With COVID-19
A New Nest Camera Console Enhances Safety of Patients and Staff; Reduces PPE Demands
Grant will fund pilot program to expand opioid use disorder treatment in Alabama
UAB is launching a pilot program aimed at getting more opioid users into treatment, using telemedicine in three rural counties and emploing the Alabama One Health Record®, a statewide health information exchange, to track outcomes in these patients.
UC San Diego Health Offers Virtual Appointments to Patients with COVID-19
UC San Diego Health now offers a telemedicine clinic to help patients with COVID-19 recover at home.
New toolkit provides rapid implementation guide for adopting telemedicine during COVID-19 pandemic
A urology group in North Carolina developed a guide that enabled them to convert all in-person visits to telemedicine in three days.
Telemedicine Transforms Response to COVID-19 Pandemic in Disease Epicenter
A rapid increase in “virtual” visits during the COVID-19 pandemic could transform the way physicians provide care in the United States going forward, according to a new study led by researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
AS VIRTUAL HEALTH CARE VISITS SOAR AMID THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK, DERMATOLOGISTS SHARE TIPS TO HELP PATIENTS MANAGE THEIR APPOINTMENTS
As the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread across the country, telemedicine visits — which allow patients to have an appointment with their doctor from the comfort and safety of their homes — are skyrocketing. This has created unique challenges for both patients and doctors alike as medicine quickly adapts to health care appointments via video conferencing, sending photos, and other virtual tools. This is why dermatologists — a specialty with more than two decades of experience in telemedicine — are stepping up to share tips to help patients across all medical specialties get the most out of their telemedicine appointments.
Telemedicine is changing the way healthcare will be done in the future
Telemedicine is changing the way providers connect with patients to maintain social distancing and decrease high risk patients from having to travel to a medical office. The COVID-19 pandemic opens the door for an increase in virtual care and could…
Telehealth Services Rapidly Expand at Nationwide Children’s Hospital Amid COVID-19 Response
As the COVID-19 global pandemic continues, it is imperative community networks, including health care systems, modify how they provide services. Nationwide Children’s Hospital has quickly adapted the way care is delivered to its patients and their families.
LifeBridge Health Virtual Hospital’s COVID-19 Tele-triage Program Sees Exponential Growth In First Weeks of Operation
With the rapid spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), LifeBridge Health, one of the largest healthcare systems in Maryland, ramped up its tele-triage program to help reduce an overflow of concerned patients in the system’s emergency departments and provider offices in the community.
Free virtual COVID-19 training for health care workers offered by IUPUI-led program
Indiana University researchers and clinicians are helping the state’s health care workforce respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing free virtual training focused on issues related to the novel coronavirus.
Mental Health Care Needed More Than Ever During COVID-19 Pandemic — Telehealth Can Help Make it Happen
Live video telehealth services are a critical component of the COVID-19 response. Offered by physicians, other clinicians and health-care organizations, telehealth provides a useful method for starting and continuing essential mental health treatment without risk of spreading infection.