Virtual Visits with The Outer Banks Medical Group
Dr. Angelique Polidoro and Family Nurse Practitioner, Sarah Summerton discuss virtual visits.
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Learn more about Sarah Summerton, FNP
Sarah Summerton, FNP | Angelique Polidoro, MD
Sarah Summerton, FNP is an Outer Banks Family Medicine - Kitty Hawk family nurse practitioner.Learn more about Sarah Summerton, FNP
Angelique Polidoro, MD is an Outer Banks Family Medicine - Kitty Hawk physician.
Learn more about Angelique Polidoro, MD
Learn more about Angelique Polidoro, MD
Transcription:
Virtual Visits with The Outer Banks Medical Group
Caitlin Whyte: Virtual visits have now become the safest way to check in with your doctor as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on in the United States, whether it's on your phone, computer or tablet, a video call is much easier than getting in your car, dealing with traffic and sitting in a waiting room. But with any technology, it can get a bit confusing joining us today for this conversation on virtual visits and how they work are Dr. Angelique Polidoro and family nurse practitioner, Sarah Summerton, both from Outer Banks Family Medicine, Kitty Hawk. This is Outer Banks Health. I'm your host, Caitlin Whyte. So, Dr. Polidoro, let's start off pretty basic. What exactly is a virtual visit?
Dr. Polidoro: A virtual visit is any visit, any encounter with a patient that's not face to face. We can do them telephone or different types of video.
Host: And Sarah, tell us about the benefits of doing virtual visits?
Sarah Summerton: Well, we've found for patients that don't want to come in and especially due to the current climate that they're more likely to make that appointment knowing that they don't have to come in. They don't have to be exposed to anybody else. So that's the biggest benefit.
Host: Now when it comes to actually doing a virtual visit, Dr. Polidoro, how are they done at practices?
Dr. Polidoro: In our practice here and through our health system, we give patients the option. If they do not have a smart device or a phone or computer that has video and microphone capabilities, we do give them the option right now of a telephone call. If they do have any of those other things, where they have a computer or a smartphone that can do both video and voice, then we'll set it up that way. Right now, we're using the Care Agility platform. But there are numerous ones out there that we've used. We started out with using even FaceTime, and then some Doxy.me, and then we use Doximity, and we still use it when we run into trouble.
Host: Now, when it comes to the visit itself, Sarah, are there any limitations? Do patients usually respond well to doing a virtual visit?
Sarah Summerton: For the most part, yes, I think they do. What's nice about it is they can, you know, if we're doing it on video, they can see our face. They can see our lips. We can see, you know, we can see their face. If there's something they want to show us, we can see that on camera. Limitations. Absolutely. We don't necessarily want somebody to call us for a virtual visit with chest pain, but for anything that's not that high acuity, it provides them access to care. They are in the convenience of their own home, which people like. So yeah, some limits, but overall, I think it's been great in terms of getting patients to their preventative health visits or sick visits. And then again, if they do feel sick, they're not coming in and exposing any other patients or any of the other staff, the nurses or providers. I have met literally everyone's pets since we've been doing virtual care, which has been the best for me. It's my own therapy for this thing.
Host: Oh my God. I love that so much. That's so funny. Yeah. Extended family too. Probably right.
Dr. Polidoro: Oh yeah. Grandchildren. Siblings.
Host: Oh gosh. That's awesome. Now, Dr. Polidoro, of course, you know, with any type of new healthcare cost always comes into play. Does insurance cover virtual visits?
Dr. Polidoro: Yeah. Currently they're covering both telephone and video formats that may change in the future, but I'm hopeful that they will keep that going. I believe they'll at least cover the video, the telephone, you know, they're still working on that, but hopefully they'll see the benefit and that we can provide a lot more care to a lot more people if we can contact them rather than having them have to travel to come in.
Host: Have you seen any improvement Sarah, when it comes to virtual visits and just the accessibility of them?
Sarah Summerton: So, yes. I mean, that's partly due in fact to this, that people have the technology, you know, we can do phone, we can do computers as long as they have web cameras. So, for the most part, yes, I think so. You know, there's always the technical glitches. Sometimes, you know, the phone won't allow access to the camera or the microphone, but for the most part, we've been able to work through that with a little bit of patience and understanding.
Host: And Dr. Polidoro talk about how you were able to begin these virtual visits with all of the COVID restrictions. I know that kind of kicked it off, but do you see this option continuing in the future?
Dr. Polidoro: Absolutely. A lot of our patients have really enjoyed doing the virtual visits. It allows them to be more comfortable. They, you know, and do it from their home. They can have the things that are comfortable to them around them, like their pets and their families. I feel like they are able to remember a lot more things that they wanted to talk about when they do it from home. And I find that to be very helpful rather than coming to an outside environment and then trying to be comfortable in a more forced setting. So, I'm really hopeful that we'll be able to continue this.
Host: Well, thank you to both of you for joining us today and sharing this information. That was Dr. Angelique Polidoro and family nurse practitioner, Sarah Summerton, both from Outer Banks Family Medicine, Kitty Hawk. The Outer Banks Medical Group is offering virtual visits by phone or computer for established patients in order to continue care and limit potential exposure to the virus. If you are an established patient of an Outer Banks Medical Group practice, and you need to be seen, please call the office to see what options are available to you and your unique situation. Visit theouterbankshospital.com/locations for contact information. If you already have an appointment scheduled, our staff will be reaching out to you. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out the full podcast library for topics of interest to you at theobh.com/podcasts. This has been Outer Banks Health. I'm your host, Caitlin Whyte. Thanks for listening.
Virtual Visits with The Outer Banks Medical Group
Caitlin Whyte: Virtual visits have now become the safest way to check in with your doctor as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on in the United States, whether it's on your phone, computer or tablet, a video call is much easier than getting in your car, dealing with traffic and sitting in a waiting room. But with any technology, it can get a bit confusing joining us today for this conversation on virtual visits and how they work are Dr. Angelique Polidoro and family nurse practitioner, Sarah Summerton, both from Outer Banks Family Medicine, Kitty Hawk. This is Outer Banks Health. I'm your host, Caitlin Whyte. So, Dr. Polidoro, let's start off pretty basic. What exactly is a virtual visit?
Dr. Polidoro: A virtual visit is any visit, any encounter with a patient that's not face to face. We can do them telephone or different types of video.
Host: And Sarah, tell us about the benefits of doing virtual visits?
Sarah Summerton: Well, we've found for patients that don't want to come in and especially due to the current climate that they're more likely to make that appointment knowing that they don't have to come in. They don't have to be exposed to anybody else. So that's the biggest benefit.
Host: Now when it comes to actually doing a virtual visit, Dr. Polidoro, how are they done at practices?
Dr. Polidoro: In our practice here and through our health system, we give patients the option. If they do not have a smart device or a phone or computer that has video and microphone capabilities, we do give them the option right now of a telephone call. If they do have any of those other things, where they have a computer or a smartphone that can do both video and voice, then we'll set it up that way. Right now, we're using the Care Agility platform. But there are numerous ones out there that we've used. We started out with using even FaceTime, and then some Doxy.me, and then we use Doximity, and we still use it when we run into trouble.
Host: Now, when it comes to the visit itself, Sarah, are there any limitations? Do patients usually respond well to doing a virtual visit?
Sarah Summerton: For the most part, yes, I think they do. What's nice about it is they can, you know, if we're doing it on video, they can see our face. They can see our lips. We can see, you know, we can see their face. If there's something they want to show us, we can see that on camera. Limitations. Absolutely. We don't necessarily want somebody to call us for a virtual visit with chest pain, but for anything that's not that high acuity, it provides them access to care. They are in the convenience of their own home, which people like. So yeah, some limits, but overall, I think it's been great in terms of getting patients to their preventative health visits or sick visits. And then again, if they do feel sick, they're not coming in and exposing any other patients or any of the other staff, the nurses or providers. I have met literally everyone's pets since we've been doing virtual care, which has been the best for me. It's my own therapy for this thing.
Host: Oh my God. I love that so much. That's so funny. Yeah. Extended family too. Probably right.
Dr. Polidoro: Oh yeah. Grandchildren. Siblings.
Host: Oh gosh. That's awesome. Now, Dr. Polidoro, of course, you know, with any type of new healthcare cost always comes into play. Does insurance cover virtual visits?
Dr. Polidoro: Yeah. Currently they're covering both telephone and video formats that may change in the future, but I'm hopeful that they will keep that going. I believe they'll at least cover the video, the telephone, you know, they're still working on that, but hopefully they'll see the benefit and that we can provide a lot more care to a lot more people if we can contact them rather than having them have to travel to come in.
Host: Have you seen any improvement Sarah, when it comes to virtual visits and just the accessibility of them?
Sarah Summerton: So, yes. I mean, that's partly due in fact to this, that people have the technology, you know, we can do phone, we can do computers as long as they have web cameras. So, for the most part, yes, I think so. You know, there's always the technical glitches. Sometimes, you know, the phone won't allow access to the camera or the microphone, but for the most part, we've been able to work through that with a little bit of patience and understanding.
Host: And Dr. Polidoro talk about how you were able to begin these virtual visits with all of the COVID restrictions. I know that kind of kicked it off, but do you see this option continuing in the future?
Dr. Polidoro: Absolutely. A lot of our patients have really enjoyed doing the virtual visits. It allows them to be more comfortable. They, you know, and do it from their home. They can have the things that are comfortable to them around them, like their pets and their families. I feel like they are able to remember a lot more things that they wanted to talk about when they do it from home. And I find that to be very helpful rather than coming to an outside environment and then trying to be comfortable in a more forced setting. So, I'm really hopeful that we'll be able to continue this.
Host: Well, thank you to both of you for joining us today and sharing this information. That was Dr. Angelique Polidoro and family nurse practitioner, Sarah Summerton, both from Outer Banks Family Medicine, Kitty Hawk. The Outer Banks Medical Group is offering virtual visits by phone or computer for established patients in order to continue care and limit potential exposure to the virus. If you are an established patient of an Outer Banks Medical Group practice, and you need to be seen, please call the office to see what options are available to you and your unique situation. Visit theouterbankshospital.com/locations for contact information. If you already have an appointment scheduled, our staff will be reaching out to you. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out the full podcast library for topics of interest to you at theobh.com/podcasts. This has been Outer Banks Health. I'm your host, Caitlin Whyte. Thanks for listening.