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Telehealth exploded onto the healthcare scene, and it's a convenient option that more and more patients have become comfortable with. But how do you leverage telehealth to meet the unique demands of a specialty practice such as an OBGYN?
Patients know that with a telehealth appointment, they don’t have to worry about traveling, taking time off work, or finding a babysitter. Telehealth is a more convenient option for some patients, depending on the reason for the visit, but which OBGYN visits lend themselves to a virtual setting?
Primary care is perhaps a more obvious use case for telehealth than some other specialties, but every specialty can benefit from offering telehealth as an option. What can be accomplished in an OBGYN telehealth visit? More than one might think.
The transition from pregnancy to postpartum brings with it a variety of new symptoms and questions. New moms can experience anything from swollen legs to constipation, cramping, and bleeding. They might have questions about breast feeding, activity restrictions, or new aches and pains.
In more serious cases, OBGYN patients may experience the “baby blues” or post-partum depression. By leveraging virtual visits, your practice can manage these questions and symptoms via telehealth.
Another condition that can be treated during an OBGYN telehealth visit is gestational diabetes. Specific meal plans, exercise, and even daily insulin checks are essential for effectively managing the condition.
Weekly healthcare check ins will keep your patients on track with their treatment plans and following the progression of diabetes. Instead of checking in with a non-reimbursable phone call, schedule weekly telehealth visits to keep tabs on your patients suffering from gestational diabetes.
Annual well exams require a head-to-toe physical exam for OBGYN providers to perform, but following up on blood work and other tests is a great use for a telehealth visit. These encounters provide you with the chance to discuss how the patient can make lifestyle decisions to improve overall health – especially important when abnormal results are found.
Telehealth visits can be helpful to ensure patients are keeping up on their healthcare plans, too. Patients with conditions such as directional diabetes—or other patients that don’t require a visit—can get medication refills via telehealth.
Using your EHR system, you can easily identify patients who need refills, access their files, and check notes to see if they need to come in. If they don’t, a telehealth visit can be triggered, you can check in with the patient, and then refill the medication. This is a billable event for providers and it's easy on the patient.
Both OBGYN providers and patients can benefit from telehealth visits. With telehealth appointments becoming more and more expected and accepted by patients, this helps ease burdens for the patient and ensure they keep up with their treatment.
For providers, offering telehealth visits creates a billable event for what would otherwise just be a phone call keeping revenue flowing into the practice.
During the global pandemic, many healthcare providers rushed to adopt any telehealth solution, but now providers can take their time in choosing the best solution for the job.
For a stand-alone solution, CompuGroup Medical offers the HIPAA-certified CGM ELVI Telemedicine platform. Users of the popular CGM APRIMA electronic health record have an integrated choice, as well, thanks to the popular Patient Connect option.
Whichever solution you choose, your OBGYN practice—and more importantly, your patient population—stands to benefit from offering telehealth visits to your patients.
