Amanda Wilde (Host): These days, telehealth medicine is a common way to connect with healthcare providers. Can remote healthcare services be as effective as in-person visits? We'll talk everything you need to know about telehealth next with primary care provider Char Hallowell Adels.

This is To Your Health, a podcast from Jefferson Healthcare. I'm Amanda Wilde. Char, welcome. Thank you for being here.

Char Hallowell Adels: Amanda, thank you for having me. It's an honor to be here.

Host: Well, I'm so glad you will explain the basics here of telehealth. Now obviously, it's safe and it's convenient. It's safe because you don't leave your home and that makes it also convenient. You don't have to travel anywhere. How are telehealth appointments different from in-person?

Char Hallowell Adels: Sure. So, telehealth appointments will take place from the safety and the comfort of your home or perhaps even your car if you're in the middle of running errands and you just want to pull over and have your appointment. But you don't have to wait in a waiting room with other sick people and there's no fear of being exposed to anything. You also don't have to waste time waiting in a waiting room and then perhaps waiting a little bit longer if the provider is running late. So, it's very quick, efficient, and convenient.

Host: Can you walk us through what a patient can expect during a telehealth appointment?

Char Hallowell Adels: So, as we do it currently at Jefferson Healthcare, you will be emailed a link or texted a link that you will click on just maybe five minutes or so before your appointment. Occasionally, the front desk staff who schedules your appointment will just give you the link verbally over the phone. And then once you click that link, it's a pretty simple platform where you will just enter in your name and kind of sit there and wait for me to let you into the actual virtual office space. And so once we begin, you'll see me on the screen. And if there's any tech trouble, I think this is where people panic if they're having trouble with the platform, but I always call people if I don't see them pop up into that virtual waiting room. So, I don't want people to panic and think that they've missed their appointment. I will do everything I can to get in touch with them.

Host: Okay. So, you really don't have to be too technical to use telehealth.

Char Hallowell Adels: That's correct, yeah.

Host: And what kinds of appointments can I have with telehealth? I imagine it's really good for some things and maybe not right for others, is that right?

Char Hallowell Adels: That's true. And I think people are surprised, and I myself have been surprised at how much you actually can accomplish over telehealth. Anything that requires a physical exam is probably not a good fit for telehealth. We can do basic rashes, or maybe even pink eye, something that would be visible over the camera. But things like a headache or a stomach ache would just not be a good fit because we can't give you the comprehensive exam that you need.

Host: And you can do some tests on telehealth, can you not? I'm thinking, I know there were COVID tests at one time you could get right before boarding a plane, for example.

Char Hallowell Adels: Yeah. So, I can order any test that you would also receive an order for in-person. So, we can do things like order lab tests, order COVID tests, order imaging, all of those things are possible over telemedicine. And the beauty of it is that we can have a followup telemedicine appointment to discuss the results. And so, you can just keep everything very quick and convenient again.

Host: Well, obviously, telehealth medicine has gone up dramatically since the pandemic. Is that a good thing?

Char Hallowell Adels: I think it is. I think we're able to reach a larger audience with the addition of telehealth. There are so many busy working professionals who are unable to take time away from work to make it to a doctor's appointment. There's busy moms and dads who are staying at home with kids all day and it's really just not conducive to their day to pack up all the kids in the car and bring them to a doctor's appointment. And then, there's also people who perhaps no longer drive or have poor mobility and it's just a lot easier for them to stay at home and access healthcare from there.

Host: If you are on Medicare, you can even get your yearly Medicare physical on telehealth. Do you do that?

Char Hallowell Adels: I do. I do several of those. I think one thing that people don't realize about those yearly Medicare wellness checks is that they are a wellness check and there is actually no physical exam associated with them. And so, they're really just a chance for you to connect with your healthcare provider and talk about what's due this year for cancer screenings and the like, update your history and then order the labs needed for that year.

Host: I noticed that I've been going to the same doctor for over two years now, and she only just touched me physically for the first time the other day, thinking there might be a kidney infection. So, I can see where telehealth could have been used in a lot of those instances. What advice do you have for patients who may be hesitant or nervous to try telehealth?

Char Hallowell Adels: I would encourage you to try. It's definitely not for everyone, but most people are pleasantly surprised at how well it works and how much they enjoy it. If you don't enjoy it, no one's feelings are hurt. We understand, and from that point forward, we're happy to book you an in-person visit, but I do think it's worth at least a try.

Host: It's worth a try and you're not committed, is what you're saying. You can always go back to in-person visits if that is what you prefer.

Char Hallowell Adels: That's true. And I also would like to point out that telehealth appointments are not with me exclusively. I do provide the majority of telehealth visits, but you can have a telehealth appointment with your regular primary care physician, or PA or nurse practitioner that you see in the clinic. They can go either way.

Host: Well, that is really good to know. Any other thoughts you'd like to add about telehealth, Char?

Char Hallowell Adels: We're just so excited to be able to offer this more than we ever have in the past. And we hope that people will take advantage, we hope people will find it convenient, and we hope that it improves access to our healthcare.

Host: That's the thing. It makes healthcare accessible and, as you said, safe and convenient. Thanks for filling us in on everything about telehealth, Char.

Char Hallowell Adels: You're welcome. Thank you again for having me.

Host: That was Char Hallowell Adels, Primary Care Provider at Jefferson Healthcare. For more information, visit jeffersonhealthcare.org. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels. You can check out the full podcast library at jeffersonhealthcare.org. This is To Your Health, a podcast from Jefferson Healthcare.