Panel Discussion: Complete Care Management for Patients Affected by COVID
Primary Care Providers (PCPs) are challenged with a growing number of patients that require complete care management after recovering from COVID-19. The Journal of the American Medical Association estimates that 10% of COVID-19 patients become long-haulers – patients whose symptoms can last months. In some patients, the virus causes damage to the lungs, heart, and brain, which increases the risk of long-term health problems.
eConsults, unlike many other virtual telehealth solutions, can help PCPs manage the treatment of both long-haulers and patients with permanent health problems as a result of contracting the coronavirus. During this session, a panel of telehealth specialists will discuss the:
- Symptoms submitted for eConsult during the peak of virus transmission.
- Conditions these physicians expect to consult about post-COVID.
- Treatment options available to patients requiring ongoing care.
Complete Care Management for Patients Affected by COVID
Ed Cladera, MD, Internal Medicine Physician & Medical Director, Arista|MD
Mary Ellis, MD, Pulmonary Disease & Critical Care Physician, Associate Professor, Medical College of Wisconsin, & eConsult Specialist, Arista|MD
Robert Carpenter, DO, FACP, Infectious Disease Specialist, Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton & eConsult Specialist, Arista|MD
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Telehealth for chronic care management using eConsults can help provide necessary care for patients remotely
Across the United States, healthcare resources were directed toward fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, access to specialty care using telehealth increased significantly. Today, specialists and primary care providers use a form of telehealth called eConsults, to avoid face-to-face specialty care visits and offer better chronic care management.
Patients needing chronic care account for 76% of all physician visits. For those with chronic diseases, failure to access care can lead to high-acuity healthcare episodes, a dangerous and disruptive situation for patients, and is costly for patients, payors, and providers alike.
To avoid these adverse outcomes and to preserve specialist availability and critical healthcare resources, healthcare organizations must find ways to provide safe access to proactive primary care for patients with chronic conditions. One potential avenue for delivering this care is the use of eConsults and other forms of telehealth for chronic care management.
With eConsults, PCPs can provide virtual access to specialist-guided care, replacing the need for face-to-face specialist visits over 70% of the time, and triaging cases to ensure only the most high-acuity patients are referred for in-person appointments.