#FlattenTheCurve of the Coronavirus pandemic with telehealth

With social distancing and quarantine being widely implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19, one other measure is being touted as a critical way to keep the numbers of infection down: telehealth. Telehealth, or the ability to connect with a medical professional virtually, is important to controlling this pandemic in a number of ways:

1. Patients who fear they may have contracted the virus can contact a telehealth provider for initial screening. The provider can then make recommendations for further treatment, if necessary. Online screening circumvents a patient potentially infecting other patients and the medical staff at a doctor’s office. According to a Health Leader’s article, "Telemedicine is a good fit for screening. For screening, it is a matter of asking the appropriate questions and ensuring that you have the right answers and a triage plan. We can't do a full examination of someone with telemedicine, but we can screen to determine whether someone is at low risk and can wait to see their doctor the next day, or is at high risk and needs to be seen right away.”
2. Utilization of telehealth visits can alleviate overcrowding of hospitals and urgent care facilities.
3. For older or immune-compromised patients, telehealth lowers their risk of exposure to the virus.
4. Medical professionals, who have themselves been quarantined, can still conduct telehealth consultations reducing the stress on physical medical facilities.
5. With the focus on the pandemic, we must remember it is still our normal flu season, and other conditions exist that require medical attention. However, patients without coronavirus symptoms, but still requiring care, are being warned by the CDC to put off visiting their doctor’s office to protect against possible infection. Telehealth provides these patients a means of care without fear of exposure.

Recognizing these benefits, the federal government has taken steps to make telehealth more available to Medicare recipients.

Telehealth programs have been available for years, but until this pandemic, utilization has remained fairly low even as other forms of technology have grown in popularity, and despite its levels of convenience, overall accessibility and affordability. The outbreak of COVID-19 is poised to change perceptions of telehealth and its benefits.

How can you obtain telehealth benefits?
Telehealth benefits may be offered through your employer’s health insurance coverage or as a standalone program. One standalone program offered through Ally Health and vetted by Fab 5 Benefits, provides access to medical professionals 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. The $19.95/month subscription (available through Fab 5 Benefits) covers all immediate family members and offers a $0 co-pay for unlimited visits.
Use telehealth to put social distancing into practice and manage your family’s healthcare needs during this time of global crisis.
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Learn more.

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