Having a doctor visit after COVID restrictions have been put in place has changed the way we go to doctors and get medical care. To reduce exposure, most medical offices are doing telemedicine when possible. Those who had lagged in developing this technology prior to COVID hitting had a hasty learning curve to get up to speed with technology.
As a patient, the changes left a lot of uncertainty in what care you could get during the initial stages of the pandemic. Things have since changed, with medical offices opening up and hospitals doing more procedures.
What has really changed in a year of COVID and what can you expect when going to the doctor?
Where we were one year ago: Regulations by state were common
Going forward: Virtual visits and online communication will continue
Online communication is likely going to stick around indefinitely. More and more doctors agree that telemedicine isn’t going anywhere. While you can still go to the doctor and have an in-person visit for urgent and emergency situations, more doctors will continue to use online communication as much as possible. There are a few reasons for this.
The first is patient demand. People like the convenience of not having to go to an appointment with the commuting and parking involved, especially with young kids in tow. Plus, people feel less exposed to germs when having an appointment from the convenience of home.
The second is the convenience of online appointments. Clinicians are better able to manage patient schedules. Doctors agree that it allows them to better focus on patient care and it maximizes the time doctors can spend with in-office patients as well as at-home consultations.
Technology continues to improve in the field making the process easier. By giving doctors more tools in online services, they are able to improve the service provided to patients. It makes an online doctor’s appointment feel more like a regular doctor’s visit.
Online communication also helps serve an underserved community. The Black and Hispanic communities are able to get care with a smartphone where they might previously not been able to make it to a doctor’s office. This simply helps more people get coverage.
But don’t worry: It won’t be all online communication. Doctors and medical facilities are already working with significant in-person schedules and don’t show any signs of slowing that down.
