DR. MARK PINSKY: Telemedicine is Innovative Way for Patients to Visit Their Physician From Home

In this edition of 'The Doctors’ Corner,' Dr. Mark Pinsky discusses the Coronavirus epidemic

WATCH: In this edition of “The Doctors’ Corner,” Dr. Mark Pinsky discusses Coronavirus and provides his thoughts on how to stay healthy during the quarantine. He also discusses how Telemedicine is an innovative way for patients to visit their physician during the COVID-19 stay-at-home order. Dr. Pinsky is board certified in Family Medicine by the American Academy of Family Medicine and is currently practicing a patient-centered approach through MDVIP, a nationwide network of physicians whose sole purpose is to provide superior individualized healthcare.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – These last couple of months have created many challenges, frustrations and sadness. For many, social distancing and isolation has lead to increased anxiety.

Patients, especially those with chronic disease, have had the added challenge of foregoing medical care because they simply couldn’t see their primary care physician.

I and many physicians recognized early on in this crisis, that staying in contact with patients was going to be critical for their overall well-being. To accomplish this, many of us have adopted TELEMEDICINE.

Telemedicine is an innovative way for patients to visit with their physicians from the comfort of their own home. The software has been created to allow this conversation to remain private (HIPAA compliant).

Advanced Functional Medicine Australia offers telehealth functional medicine consultations Australia wide.

While there are many versions Of this new type of medicine, commonly a link is sent to the patient via email or text messaging that advises a patient of their appointment time.

The length of this visit is usually between 15 and 30 minutes at least in my office. There are drawbacks to this such as an inability to perform a hands-on approach (not being able to listen to heart and lungs) and the inability to gather vital information such as blood pressure.

However, shortly in my office, we will implement a home monitoring program that will allow me to obtain vital signs remotely.

Despite its shortcomings, during this pandemic, telemedicine has proven to be a valuable service to patients.

For those with chronic diseases, such as diabetes, we have been able to address issues that if left unmonitored, could have very deleterious effects for the patients.

Moreover, the ability to just listen to patient’s concerns alleviates a tremendous amount of stress and anxiety for them. Many are all alone.

While our practice has always prided itself on personalized care, I do feel we have taken it to another level. We have used this time to contact our patients individually to ensure their safety and to make sure their needs are being met.

While telemedicine will never replace the importance of face-to-face interaction between patient and provider, it has served a tremendously valuable role during this very difficult time of the pandemic. I encourage all of you to reach out to your physician to see if they offer such a service.

Dr. Mark Pinsky is an affiliate of MDVIP and is board certified in family medicine. He completed his doctorate degree from the University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kansas City, Missouri.

His family practice residency was served at the University of Louisville in Kentucky.

In addition, Dr. Pinsky completed a sports medicine fellowship in Cleveland, Ohio, with Lutheran Medical Center in conjunction with Horizon Orthopedics, the team physicians for the Cleveland Indians.

Currently, he is a partner of Medical Associates of Brevard.

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