Telemedicine during COVID-19

Keeping your distance from others during this global COVID-19 outbreak is critical. Many doctors and patients are turning to new ways of connecting that will minimize the spread of the virus, and telemedicine seems to be a great option. This concept allows patients to stay home yet still engage in a voice or video consultation with their doctor. 

Dr. Jay Shah at SamWell Institute for Pain Management in Colonia and Livingston, New Jersey offers this service to his patients who can’t or shouldn’t come in for a traditional, face-to-face appointment. Dr. Shah can conduct a virtual visit with you and help you overcome your chronic pain issues. If you're new to the idea of telemedicine, here’s what you need to know.

Telemedicine basics

Telemedicine, or telehealth, has been around for a while, and began as a way to help health care professionals “see” more patients and allow more patients to “see” their health care providers more freely. Although face-to-face appointments are still necessary for certain tests and hands-on exams, many things can be diagnosed and treated remotely. Here’s the gist of it:

Greater access

Whether you’re quarantined or simply too far away to attend an in-person visit, telemedicine allows you access to your health care provider from the comfort of your own home by using technology like video conferencing, voice-to-voice calls, and interactive software to provide an equal level of high-quality face-to-face interaction and healthcare

Lower cost

Because telemedicine increases the staff’s efficiency, may shorten your hospital stays, and reduces the amount of time you spend traveling back and forth to appointments, telehealth may lower your health care costs.

Increasingly common

In 2018, the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that Americans’ use of telemedicine services increased by 52% between 2005–2017, and it continues to grow in popularity. 

Covered by insurance

Most states (32 plus the District of Columbia) have made it a law that private insurers must cover telemedicine services in order to establish health care equality. In fact, last month, Congress passed an emergency funding measure to the tune of $83 billion that expands the Medicare coverage of telemedicine and makes it easier for Medicare patients to access health care services remotely. New Jersey state fully covers telehealth at no additional cost to you. 

Telemedicine for chronic pain

Suffering from chronic pain is a day-to-day issue. Some days are better than others, and some days you’re debilitated. That means some days you simply can’t get in to see Dr. Shah, no matter how much you might want to.

That’s where telemedicine comes in. In some ways, you may even feel like you're connected to Dr. Shah and his expert care more than when you only saw him occasionally. Through telemedicine, you can receive more immediate responses to urgent needs and send important information about your symptoms and daily routine that can speed your diagnosis and treatment.

Telemedicine is especially effective for follow-up care, as it allows you to communicate more frequently about your progress and any concerns you might have.

Whether you have low back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, knee pain, arthritis, complex regional pain syndrome,headaches, or any other type of pain, Dr. Shah can “see” you, communicate with you remotely, and develop a treatment plan that uses the latest technology for an effective and full recovery. 

If you’re stuck at home because of COVID-19, or if you’re looking for a new way to interact with Dr. Shah during your pain management treatments, give us a call at either of our locations or contact us online to talk about the best way to begin using telemedicine with our practice.