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Telemedicine, evaluating and treating patients over the telephone or via video-chat on your smart phone, home computer, laptop or tablet computer is a big factor in how health care is evolving today.
				And what started as an experiment prior to the novel coronavirus pandemic has now become an important tool in how we care for people in the COVID-19 era and how we will continue to care for people in the future.
				The need for physical distancing to mitigate the spread of novel coronavirus, which prompted stay-at-home orders in many states leading up to and during the initial peak of COVID-19 cases in the United States, made telemedicine visits the safest and most logical option for many who needed routine primary and regular specialty care in recent months.
				Hospitals and health systems raced to advance their technological infrastructure and capability to provide telemedicine services more widely during the pandemic, and by and large, both patients and providers have come to a realization.
				It works &#8230;mwell, in fact.
				For regular wellness checkups, telemedicine allows patient and primary care physician to catch up just as they would in the clinic. They can discuss medical history, lifestyle, how the patient is feeling, and whether there have been any noteworthy changes or developments in the patient&rsquo;s health. Most importantly, if there are any signs that a patient needs to be evaluated in person immediately or relatively soon, a telemedicine visit can reveal that need.
				And for specialty care, telemedicine offers a channel for maintenance of chronic conditions, adjustments to treatment, and convenient consultation for patients who may not have their own means of transportation.
				Take cardiology for instance. Telemedicine can allow for:
				&#183; Assessment and follow up of cardiovascular risk, such as risk of heart attack, through discussion of lipids, diet, weight, exercise, and even blood pressure if the patient has a cuff
				&#183; Assessment of family history
				&#183; Development of exercise plan or smoking-cessation plan
				&#183; Evaluation of some symptoms, such as palpitations
				Ultimately, all of this evaluation assesses whether a patient needs to be seen in person.
				But perhaps the biggest discovery of all is telemedicine works for more than the young and technologically savvy. It&rsquo;s been a common misconception that video-chat programs will present hurdles for older adults, but patients 60 and older are embracing technology to receive their care.
				Laptops, tablet computers and smartphones are used by multiple generations now, and the same mediums that connect older adults with their children and grandchildren can now connect them with their doctors. The only difference is the programs health systems use have added levels of security to protect patient health information.
				Geisinger Health Plan offers its members telehealth through Teledoc, and through July 31, Geisinger Health Plan members can use Teledoc without any cost sharing &mdash; when patients pay a portion of health care costs not covered by insurance.
				Members can visit teledoc.com to download the Teledoc smartphone app. They can create an account, fill out a short medical history questionnaire, and schedule an online visit with their physician. Teledoc even provides an estimate as to when a doctor will contact the patient.
				If video sessions are not possible because of technological barriers, health plan members can call 800-Teledoc to request a call from a doctor.
				Telemedicine is certainly not a perfect substitute for all interactions with your medical team. Careful and thorough physical examination and face to face contact is still a very important aspect of good care. Nevertheless, when used as part of a comprehensive medical care and wellness plan, the proper use of telemedicine options has and will benefit all of us&#8230;as long as we step away from streaming yet another episode of our current favorite &ldquo;binge watching&rdquo; series, and let our medical team use some of that internet bandwidth!

Dr. Casale: Telemedicine is easy