Telemedicine has long held promise as a way for providers to offer timelier, less expensive care to patients with non-emergency conditions. But until very recently, its use by providers has been limited—primarily because many health insurance plans wouldn’t cover it. But coronavirus has changed that dynamic quickly and dramatically, says Karen Kennedy, M.D., a board-certified gynecologist with offices in Gulf Breeze and Navarre.

“Because of the coronavirus, telemedicine has become an overnight success in getting patients a visit with their doctors while allowing them to avoid close contact with others,” Kennedy says. “Before March, it was difficult to find an insurance plan that covered telemedicine visits, which forced almost everyone to spend time going to the doctor’s office and waiting their turn for an appointment. But as of April, first Medicare and then almost every other insurance began allowing coverage for telemedicine appointments, because the country was encouraged to practice social distancing.” 

Before the pandemic created this sweeping shift, insurance companies that did cover telemedicine employed their own doctors to provide medical advice and treatment through telemedicine or phone calls, but they rarely covered the cost for patients to virtually “visit” their own doctors this way.  

But when it became clearer that the pandemic was a rapidly growing health crisis in the United States, state governments and then the federal government began urging citizens to stay home, and it became harder for doctors to meet their patients’ medical needs. In response, many insurance companies abruptly allowed them to offer telemedicine visits, Kennedy says.

Choice and Convenience

Many physicians were already using video platforms for personal or other business purposes; many others took up the challenge of learning these platforms in order to offer telemedicine. Common platforms accepted include Zoom, Skype and FaceTime, and many medical record systems have their own telemedicine platform.

“For now, the insurances are accepting these methods as privacy compliant,” Kennedy says. “We always obtain verbal consent for the visit and remind the patient that we are on a televised, though private, line.”

Telemedicine isn’t appropriate for all situations, but when it is, it’s far more convenient for patients, she notes. 

“Televisits save people time driving to an appointment. The provider can determine during the visit if an exam is needed, but if it’s not, even prescriptions and labs can be sent electronically, eliminating the need for travel to the office. In this time of social distancing, people can see their own doctors in the comfort of their own home without contacting anyone who may be in the waiting room for a sick visit. They don’t have to spend the time and money to travel, or risk the physical hazards of driving. They only have to wait their turn for an appointment.”  

Even when the pandemic ends—and it will—if insurance companies continue to cover the use of telemedicine by patients’ own doctors, they will save individuals immeasurable time and money, Kennedy says.

“This may be a good time to call the insurance companies and request coverage for televisits on a regular basis for efficiency and convenience and saving,” she says. “As of now, the televisits are expected to end around June, and that convenience will be lost. I personally advocate televisits and would encourage all of my patients who do not need an exam to use this feature for the benefit of everyone involved.”

Dr. Karen Kennedy has offices at 1118 Gulf Breeze Pkwy., Gulf Breeze, FL, and 7552 Navarre Pkwy., Navarre, FL. To contact her or for more information, call 850-916-7766 or visit KarenKennedyMD.com.