Is Telehealth Here to Stay?
With much of the decision about whether or not to telehealth a moot point due to the pandemic, Dr. Pynonnen said the decision-making process is much simpler now. (It’s important to note that the rule relaxation on telehealth may not last, however, so if this is a service you’re considering keeping, you may want to explore more permanent options.)
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July 2020“A month ago, if we were trying to decide to make a diagnosis about ear pain without an exam, most of us would have said, ‘No, that just doesn’t feel right. I want to look in the ear before I tell them this is TMJ,’” she explained. “Now, a month later, we don’t need a perfect diagnosis. As long as I don’t make a serious misdiagnosis, a best guess with plans for follow-up is good enough in our current crisis.”
Even in this crisis, we can still help many patients who contact us with symptom concerns by providing reassuring information, despite the inability to look inside their ear or nose.” —Melissa A. Pynnonen, MD
“With travel distances to the Oregon border reaching four to five hours for some patients, many have shown such gratitude to have organized video visits,” said Travis T. Tollefson, MD, MPH, professor and director of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery and otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at the University of California, Davis. “Prior to COVID-19, we were encouraged to have 10% of our clinic visits to be video visits through the Epic system’s Haiku or Cantu, but I fought the trend due to a lack of my ability to read the room and interpret the patients’ and families’ demeanor on video.
“This crisis has raised the floodgates on video consults for most of our faculty, and I’m slowly buying into the place for it in my own practice,” he continued. “For follow-ups and screening consults, I think we’ll build on our significant telehealth infrastructure here at UC Davis so that each of us incorporates it. Of course, I’ll be having in-person exams and counselling as we reopen clinics, but I’ve reluctantly given in. Video visits are here to stay.”
Dr. Sale agreed. “The big take-home is to not let perfection get in the way of progress,” he said. “This is more about getting connected to your patients now and being able to share a platform with those who have ongoing healthcare issues—such as sinonasal disease, chronic ear disease, and head and neck cancer—that isn’t just going to go away because of the COVID-19 outbreak.”