Not only Urologists, but physicians and doctors across the nation have responded to the COVID cases during the pandemic by embracing the use of Telemedicine and Telehealth Appointments when possible. Using new and innovative technologies designed to improve patient access to getting professional medical care, the impact has has been for healthcare providers to rapidly expand their traditional delivery model of in-person services to include more, and better, telemedicine services.Is Telehealth Useful For A Specialty Like Urology?
Although telehealth was regarded as a temporary measure to relieve the burden on hospitals and clinics during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is now being embraced as a mainstream facet of health care by many medical specialists, including urologists Urology is a field well suited for telehealth, with physicians using it for the complete spectrum of adult and pediatric consultations, preoperative and postoperative evaluations, and routine care for skilled nursing home residents. This allows urologists to remotely treat a broad range of urologic conditions affecting a man's urinary tract and reproductive organs. This includes preliminary assessment of infections, obstructions, incontinence, congenital malformations, traumatic injuries, male sexual dysfunction, and urinary tract cancers.
With the decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to pay for telehealth services at the same rate as in-person visits, telehealth today is regarded as a means to expand access to urologic services safely and effectively—particularly in rural communities, where urologists are historically in short supply. According to the American Urological Association, an estimated sixty-two percent of counties in the United States have no urologists, while fewer than one in ten urologists practice in rural communities.
Telemedicine Appointments are Enabled by Virtual Meeting Technology
In certain instances, doctors are using virtual meeting technology to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients without either ever needing to step foot into an exam room. As many experts have pointed out, we made it through the shut down over the past years using telemedicine and there's no reason not to continue doing so now. Many view Telehealth as "poised for growth", with telemedicine already securing a place as a necessary tool to improve access to care and deliver more services to more people.
As Dr. Lisa Finkelstein, a urologist in a private practice, pointed out in a recent article in Medpage Today, telemedicine will be a critical part of the US healthcare delivery system going forward. “Telehealth has changed so much about the way we interact with our patients and provide care,” said Finkelstein. “Instead of just ‘brick and mortar,’ ‘click and mortar’ should be a mainstay in a new approach to delivering care.”
About Philadelphia Urology Associates
Philadelphia Urology Associates has embraced Telehealth in order to both improve patient access to medical care, but additionally to help streamline the patient's entire "doctor's office visit" experience. The incorporation of telemedicine and telehealth services offers patients the opportunity to address their health concerns with a doctor before ever visiting an office in some cases. At Philadelphia Urology Associates, Dr. Bruce Sloane is a nationally renowned specialist in Men's Health issues and Age Management Medicine. Throughout Philadelphia and the surrounding areas, patients seek his expertise to treat erectile dysfunction and other sexual performance issues. Using state-of-the-art equipment and having extensive specialized education and training, Dr. Sloane will find the individualized treatments and solutions that will work for you.
If you have any questions about Telehealth, Telemedicine, or any Urological conditions that you may have, we urge you to contact us now online or call us at (215) 563-1199 today to discuss how we can help you!
