Well that sucks being just half done with your eyeballs. But it could be a lot worse.
What is this Telemedicine Vists you speak of? Is it something I need to download on my computer if I am to speak with my Doctor since he isn't seeing patients in person? Or, does it come from the Doctor's office-do they send me a link and I download the link, install and somehow connected to the MD at a certain time? Both the wife's and my medical appointments were cancelled and they want us to "Telemed." I have never Skyped, did FaceTime or anything else similar to what Telemed is...
They can probably send you an email with a link and instructions for whatever platform they use.
I generally use Zoom. Have used Google Hangouts once or twice. Some of my colleagues are using Facetime, but I don't have an iPhone. Some systems have a built-in video portal to use, I think Athena, which we are moving to in a few months, probably has their own built in.
My wife has been seeing patients this way also....she didn't cook me any ribs though!
Why can't they just call you on the phone and talk about it mostly anyway? I mean, a broken arm is a broken arm, a spleen is a spleen and a hemorrhoid is a hemorrhoid, right? Anything harder to deal with than that, you're more than likely gonna need to send pics...or else they'd just say "Pics; or it didn't happen".
Maybe this will ease your pain... I aim to ease suffering you know. It's my calling.
Yea, that didn't help at all. Those look good!
Reported tonight that personal data is being stolen by China on Zoom. Apparently the program was routed through some chinese servers, and data was harvested. I think it's been corrected.
Well, to qualify for an actual telemedicine visit, you are supposed to have a video link, I believe. They have relaxed some of the rules and they may be allowing some phone visits, but technically, there has been a code to use for billing for phone consultations for years - this is different. That was based on time spent and honestly was reimbursed so poorly that most docs don't even waste their time on it. It takes more time to document the phone consult than it is worth. As for these telemedicine visits, they are more like actual office visits in terms of how much they reimburse, as you use the same codes - for the most part they are 'lower level' visits, but still worth a helluva lot more than the phone time alotted pays.
Bottom line, if you are trying to run an office and were on the phone 5-10 minutes and talked to 60 patients a day, you would probably still go bankrupt.
As for telemed - I've heard some folks are using phone consults now and billing it just like a regular visit/telemed visit - I'm not sure the legalities of this, but Medicare has come down and said they're not going to be auditing this stuff for the next 60 days, so they will get away with it for now.
For those wishing we had been able to do telemedicine before now, and wondering why your doctor didn't, it wasn't permitted per Medicare guidelines except in very specific circumstances up till now - some mental health stuff, some specialists and areas where there were extreme shortages of medical personal/rural access problems, etc. And with good reason - these telemed visits are NOT as good or thorough as a regular visit in the doctor's office. I can't listen to your lungs, I can't see you as well as in person, things aren't as tangible - a peson's appearance, manner, grooming, interactions, gait and mobility, etc. In spite of stories I've heard of some of these dial-a-doc guys asking patients to actually HOLD THEIR PHONE UP TO THEIR CHEST TO LISTEN TO THEIR LUNGS (no, that is NOT a joke), you just can't do an appropriately targeted accurate physical exam. It's a stopgap measure to help docs help their patients and still allow them to try to make some semblance of a living.
But it isn't working, not for me, at least. I mean, it's interesting, it's been helpful to a few patients, but personally, my billing is going to be down probably close to 90%. I show up at the office every day.
I'm debating about just staying home tomorrow, not sure I should bother getting out of bed,
Bottom line, if you are trying to run an office and were on the phone 5-10 minutes and talked to 60 patients a day, you would probably still go bankrupt.
As for telemed - I've heard some folks are using phone consults now and billing it just like a regular visit/telemed visit - I'm not sure the legalities of this, but Medicare has come down and said they're not going to be auditing this stuff for the next 60 days, so they will get away with it for now.
For those wishing we had been able to do telemedicine before now, and wondering why your doctor didn't, it wasn't permitted per Medicare guidelines except in very specific circumstances up till now - some mental health stuff, some specialists and areas where there were extreme shortages of medical personal/rural access problems, etc. And with good reason - these telemed visits are NOT as good or thorough as a regular visit in the doctor's office. I can't listen to your lungs, I can't see you as well as in person, things aren't as tangible - a peson's appearance, manner, grooming, interactions, gait and mobility, etc. In spite of stories I've heard of some of these dial-a-doc guys asking patients to actually HOLD THEIR PHONE UP TO THEIR CHEST TO LISTEN TO THEIR LUNGS (no, that is NOT a joke), you just can't do an appropriately targeted accurate physical exam. It's a stopgap measure to help docs help their patients and still allow them to try to make some semblance of a living.
But it isn't working, not for me, at least. I mean, it's interesting, it's been helpful to a few patients, but personally, my billing is going to be down probably close to 90%. I show up at the office every day.
I'm debating about just staying home tomorrow, not sure I should bother getting out of bed,
