Telemedicine

Today I am grateful for technology and doctors, More so than usual! I was not looking forward to going into my pulmonology office today, especially after taking the steps we took to obtain and administer my own Nucala with auto injectors. However, when they confirmed the appointment, I didn’t realize I would wake up today still running a low-grade fever. Very low grade, but apparently enough that they would not have been able to see me in the office.

I spoke with somebody who was able to confirm they could change my appointment to telehealth. Although pulmonology is a difficult area to practice by telehealth, since a significant part of it is listening to your lungs, this is absolutely fine for me! Being a chronically ill patient, I have a lot of experience with, and am pretty good at, accurately understanding what my lungs sound like based on how I feel.

The last person on earth I want to get sick right now is my pulmonologist. I’m so grateful for technology throughout this entire ordeal. (My general practitioner called in antibiotics, since I still had a fever after an entire week. I don’t know why I still have one. My daughter and I were both sick at the same time, and her fever went away entirely yesterday. Mine, however, seems to continue to hold steady at 99.4.

I called the office to confirm their procedures and to advise about the fever, which I’m glad I did because they said that was high enough that they would not have been able to see me in the office. They changed my appointment to telehealth.

That said, I was impressed by the procedure they had in place for the appointment before I realized I STILL have a fever, and finding out they were willing to change it to telehealth.

To check in for this office appointment, you call a certain number/line they give you, and you wait in your car until a room is ready for you, so that you go straight to a room without coming into contact with other patients. It’s not 100% fool proof, of course, but nothing really can be, other than what they are doing via telephone. I haven’t seen any other office do this vehicle waiting room thing.

(When I got the message to call a certain number upon arrival, I was wondering if they were actually going to come to the car window to do the appointment. LOL)

Two offices I have to really tip my hat to are this one, Central Florida Pulmonary Group, and Jewett Orthopaedic of Winter Park, used for the kiddo with her broken arm. At Jewett, they do a temperature check outside, they squirt sanitizer on your hands or gloves, and as soon as you enter your assigned room, they stand there while you wash your hands and then wash their own in front of you. 👏🏽

Both of these offices have put efficient and strict policies into effect to protect their physicians, staff and patients. That’s all you can hope/ask for.

I hope by sharing this, someone else will benefit from the ideas, and maybe put them into place for their own businesses or organizations.

Also, I can attend in my pajamas. 😁

#SilverLinings #PajamaDayEveryDay #Telemedicine #LivingMyBestLife