The Roanoker - July/August 2021 - 28
THE FUTURE IS
NOW
TELEMEDICINE TAKES HOLD IN THE ROANOKE VALLEY.
WRITTEN BY CHRISTY RIPPEL
T
HIS PAST WINTER, it was time for a follow-up
with my primary care doctor, but I was hesitant
to make an appointment. The vaccine was not
yet available, and COVID case numbers were on the
upswing in Roanoke. So I called the Carilion office where
my physician is based to discuss it, and they offered me a
telemedicine appointment.
Telemedicine or telehealth is the delivery of health
services and information via technology, like an app on
a smartphone or through a website. It allows for longdistance
contact between a provider and a patient and in
its most basic form, it can be an over-the-phone chat with
a doctor in lieu of an in-person visit. A video chat where
a doctor can view a concern is a more advanced option.
When it was time for my appointment, I logged into
Carilion's MyChart website, and my doctor and I met over
the video chat feature. It was smooth and painless, and I
quickly got on with my day when we said goodbye. As I
later learned, I was one of thousands of patients in the
Roanoke Valley who engaged in a telemedicine visit since
March 2020, and even when the pandemic is a distant
memory, we may credit the crisis with accelerating a move
towards telemedicine as an integral part of a robust medical
practice.
Telemedicine becomes vital in pandemic
Telemedicine was a fledgling service in the Roanoke Valley
before COVID-19, but exploded overnight when the
pandemic forced the suspension of in-person appointments
for all but the sickest patients.
" Prior to the pandemic, we [Carilion] were averaging
about 100 visits per month, " explained Stephen Morgan,
MD, who as the chief medical information officer for
Carilion oversees its telemedicine operation. " At the
height of things, providers were conducting about 800
telemedicine visits per day. "
Before March 2020, you could have fit the three Carilion
patients accessing telemedicine per day in a rowboat-
but by late spring, you'd need a cruise ship to fit the
800 patients who were utilizing Carilion's telemedicine
system every day. The sudden burst of activity was not
without growing pains or challenges, a sentiment echoed
by Carilion's healthcare neighbor, LewisGale Hospital and
its provider group, LewisGale Physicians.
" In rural areas particularly, we were troubleshooting
network issues and bandwidth issues, " said Matthew
Bowles, PA-C, the director of advanced practice providers
for LewisGale Physicians, who has worked in cardiology
for the physician group for more than a decade. Bowles
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The Roanoker - July/August 2021
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The Roanoker - July/August 2021 - Cover3
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