Primary Care

For patients suffering from chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, or heart disease, telehealth helps keep patients better engaged in their care. Primary Care Physicians are able to monitor symptom progression, adjust medications, and modify treatment plans without asking patients to return to the office.

Primary Care Physicians dedicate a lot of time and energy to mapping out self-care plans for managing depression, weight loss, and smoking cessation. Telemedicine allows physicians to conveniently check in with patients, provide counseling, and ensure treatment plans are still working well.

Providers order multiple lab tests and screenings each day, whether it be CBCs, blood glucose levels, or other tests. For abnormal lab results, remote video allows Primary Care Physicians to discuss results with their patients face-to-face without losing time on follow-up phone calls.

Whether it’s birth control, blood pressure medication, or antidepressants, remote video appointments are an ideal solution for adjusting patient medications; it is more efficient for both patients and providers.

Chronic condition patients often require multiple physician office visits each year. These are patients who have regimented treatment plans that are frequently adjusted and must be closely monitored by an existing provider. For patients with chronic conditions, video-based follow-up appointments often involve medication adjustments, monitoring of side effects, lab/imaging result reviews, and overall treatment plan management. Chronic conditions commonly managed through telehealth include:

• Diabetes

• Hypertension

• Coronary artery disease

• Cardiac arrhythmia

• End stage renal disease

• Hepatitis

• Asthma/COPD

• Obesity

• Oncologic co-morbidities

• Neurodegenerative diseases

Patients who receive yearly wellness exams are prime candidates for telehealth follow-ups. While the wellness exam itself requires a head-to-toe physical exam, following up on blood work and other screenings is ideal for a remote telehealth visit. These remote visits also give providers the opportunity to discuss how the patient can make smart lifestyle decisions in order to improve overall health – which is especially important when abnormal results are found. Common wellness screenings ideal for telemedicine follow-up include:

• Colonoscopy / Sigmoidoscopy results

• Mammogram results

• Cholesterol levels

• STD testing

• CBC results

• Blood glucose levels

• Liver function testing

• Pap smear results

• Blood electrolytes