Telemedicine in Corona Virus times

 I had my very first telemedicine experience with my doctor. I had badly sprained my knee which already had some problems. I was asked to consult a doctor by the local hospital Straub Medical Center in Honolulu. The hospital was cautious due to corona virus concerns. More than 10 days ago I had my first Moderna vaccine but still it is important to take precautions against this Wuhan virus.

The hospital uses the doxy.me telemedicine provider and you may get the expenses reimbursed. . I got a link in my email. I clicked the link to get to the online site where we could talk to each other. It was clean and easy.

One thing that needs improvement: 

The link to connect to the doctor could have given to me earlier. As I was concerned, and the promised link did not come till the last minute or so of the appointment, I was getting concerned. It could have been avoided.

Otherwise, everything was fine and I had a good time with the doctor. To minimize the time and get maximum interaction, I had prepared a script leading up to the point when I noticed I needed to consult. I did not want to waste doctor's time.

The downside of telemedicine in the case of a orthopedics at least, the patient's concerns remains. A face-to-face interaction a with doctor is most appropriate as a patient's version of his problem may not be acccurate.

Hawaii seems to be in the list where reimbursement is made for services provided. More details go here: https://doxy.me/telemedicine-reimbursement.