{"id":10492,"date":"2020-08-13T19:45:40","date_gmt":"2020-08-14T02:45:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=10492"},"modified":"2020-08-13T19:45:40","modified_gmt":"2020-08-14T02:45:40","slug":"the-shift-to-telemedicine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=10492","title":{"rendered":"The Shift to Telemedicine"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>

The Shift to Telemedicine, from Santa Barbara Independent, Active Aging Special Section, July 30, 2020.<\/p><\/div>\n

DR. WILLIAM GALLIVAN\u2019S\u00a0ORTHOPEDIC INSTITUTE\u00a0LEADS THE NEW WAY<\/p>\n

All it took was a pandemic and a government-mandated shutdown, but it looks like\u00a0telemedicine \u2014 the modern version of the\u00a0house call \u2014 is here to stay.<\/p>\n

Dr. William Gallivan<\/a> and his team at Orthopedic\u00a0Institute of Santa Barbara<\/a> were using telemedicine\u00a0on a limited basis for years before COVID-19,\u00a0primarily for out-of-town patients who wanted to\u00a0discuss possible surgical procedures and for short,\u00a0post-surgical follow-up appointments. So when\u00a0the pandemic mandated physicians to digitize\u00a0their health-care process in March \u2014 while lifting\u00a0some privacy restrictions to allow virtual exams\u00a0\u2014 his office was better prepared than most. Even\u00a0with restrictions now eased, the Orthopedic Institute\u00a0is managing more than one-third of patient\u00a0visits via telehealth.<\/p>\n

In order to train seniors and other non-digital\u00a0natives in the process, Gallivan is a \u201cheavy\u00a0utilizer of scribes,\u201d enlisting\u00a0tech-savvy, pre-med students\u00a0to work with patients\u00a0in advance of their appointments\u00a0to set up remote\u00a0communication. There\u2019s a\u00a0learning curve. \u201cSometimes\u00a0it\u2019s three or four calls to connect,\u201d\u00a0said Gallivan. \u201cAnd\u00a0with the outliers, it takes me\u00a0two days of calling them to\u00a0actually get a connection to\u00a0do the telehealth. But most\u00a0of them, more than 90 percent\u00a0now, are set up and\u00a0engaged with the telemedicine portal.\u201d<\/p>\n

How does this work for orthopedic exams, say,\u00a0for a bad knee? \u201cIf it\u2019s not a post-op, the patient\u00a0actually can do a self-examination as we instruct\u00a0them how to do it,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we can see their\u00a0range of motion, assess the swelling a little bit,\u00a0and they can point out where it\u2019s tender, we have\u00a0a reasonable way to assess the problem and make\u00a0recommendations.\u201d<\/p>\n

He plans to continue with telehealth as a bigger\u00a0part of the practice even when the pandemic is\u00a0over. Of course, he can\u2019t replace the first post-op\u00a0visit, when sutures are removed \u2014 \u201cat least it would\u00a0be a bit more of a challenge,\u201d he said \u2014 but telemedicine\u00a0works well for the six-week checkups.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can really be quite effective,\u201d he said. \u201cThe\u00a0communication has been excellent. Actually, some\u00a0of it may even be better than the in-person stuff,\u00a0because you are looking at the screen, instead of\u00a0staring at a knee most of the time, you\u2019ve got the\u00a0patient\u2019s face right there. The nonverbal communication\u00a0is important, and I think we get that with\u00a0telemedicine pretty well.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s been happily surprised with how well it\u00a0works, leaving visits confident that he provided\u00a0a good service and not a second-rate one just\u00a0because it is remote.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s certainly not perfect, and I\u2019m a big fan of\u00a0in-person communication,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the efficiency\u00a0of not having sick people that have to travel\u00a0for a meeting, and being able to get stuff done and\u00a0having direct communication, is enhanced.\u201d<\/p>\n

Orthopedic Institute of Santa Barbara: gallivanmd.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Active<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Originally published in the Santa Barbara Independent on July 30, 2020. To view the Active Aging Guide to Senior Life, Seen Through a Pandemic Lens, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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