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Telemedicine Growth During The COVID-19 Pandemic

By Highmark

To decrease employee contact with health care facilities, other people and health care staff in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19, many employers have started offering telemedicine as a health care benefit.

“COVID-19 has forced us to look at everything differently,” said Kayla Cousineau, Vice President of Clinical Operations and Strategic Initiatives at Allegheny Health Network, a division of Highmark Health. “One of the silver linings will be telemedicine.”

“It makes more sense than ever before to ramp up these options that make it safer for patients because sick people aren’t congregating in doctors’ offices,” said Dr. Amy Crawford-Faucher, an AHN family medicine physician. “We’re providing the best care possible while also avoiding exposure.”

Telemedicine fundamentals

Though it is known primarily as a video meeting between a provider and patient, telemedicine includes any interaction other than a face-to-face meeting. That could include telephone visits, as well as messaging through apps like MyChart, which Allegheny Health Network uses.

Telemedicine had become relatively simpler before the coronavirus outbreak as video conferencing technology had improved and mobile devices had become more popular. AHN grew video visits with caregivers to enhance access to health care in 2018. But the coronavirus outbreak has sped adoption among patients and providers.

Cousineau likens a video visit to chatting with a friend or relative via FaceTime, a video calling application for iPhones and other Apple products. AHN patients download the MyChart app, schedule a video visit with their provider, and meet with them remotely. MyChart is a software system used by many health care organizations.

A patient can also use a video visit with an AHN provider for common ailments like back pain, sinus problems or eye irritation, or if they feel they have been exposed to COVID-19. The patient only needs a MyChart account, a mobile, tablet or desktop device with a camera, an internet connection and a quiet, private place where they can share their symptoms and get the care they need.

AHN has expanded its telemedicine staffing such that every AHN clinician now has the capability to conduct virtual visits. Providers are available 24/7 for urgent care visits so that patients can get help immediately.

“We want people staying home, so having them able to do an urgent care visit remotely was our highest priority,” Cousineau said. “Patients appreciate not having to leave their homes.”

Benefits for employers

Telemedicine also helps employees with busy professional lives to maintain a work-life balance because they don’t have to drive to a provider’s office and wait to see them. “The convenience factor of telemedicine is constructive to your work,” Cousineau said.

Employers have come to appreciate telemedicine as well because they like knowing that their employees get appropriate care as quickly as possible, Cousineau said. “It took a pandemic, but much of this will stick.”

Highmark offers several different employee engagement options, including in-person appointments, telemedicine appointments, as well as Health Coaches available 24/7. For more information, employers can visit highmarkemployer.com, enter their zip code, and click on “Engage.” 

Employees can also call the number on the back of their member ID card or log into their member website to view their options.

About Highmark Inc.

One of America’s leading health insurance organizations and an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Highmark Inc. (the Health Plan) and its affiliated health plans (collectively, the Health Plans) work passionately to deliver high-quality, accessible, understandable and affordable experiences, outcomes and solutions to customers. 

As the fourth-largest overall Blue Cross Blue Shield-affiliated organization, Highmark Inc. and its Blue-branded affiliates proudly cover the insurance needs of more than 5.6 million members in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia. Its diversified businesses serve group customer and individual needs across the United States through dental insurance and other related businesses. For more information, visit www.highmark.com.