Telemedicine may have been what sick people and pet owners needed all along
BlackTechLogy: Is telemedicine and telehealth improving the health care industry and its members or costing them more money?
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Since the first time I saw Cosmo Spacely yelling at George Jefferson from a virtual phone, I have always wanted the equivalent of Google Meet and Zoom. We still don’t have cars casually cruising through space, but “The Jetsons” did give us a preview of what it was like to work from home. Skip the extra gas money or public transportation funds, the long travel time, and having to pack a lunch or have money for a lunch break. Just have the work conversation from the comfort (or stress, if your boss is like Mr. Spacely) of your living room, and go back to what you were doing.
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From the virtual work conference room to the virtual waiting room
Telemedicine* visits have provided the same level of comfort and the opportunity for people to not cough, sneeze or share other bodily fluids while sitting in a waiting room.
Last month, my parents took a trip to Istanbul and Dakar. One group of people were on a flight with them, coughing up a lung and not covering up their mouths. At the time, my mother thought it was no big deal — outside of bad manners.
But on that two-week trip, the last two days caught up with her and she was miserable on the way home. Somebody had given her some kind of virus and ruined the tail end of her vacation. I warned her not to bring her cooties my way and wanted to see proof of a negative COVID-19 test. Negative, it was, and she came on by (with “thank you” gifts and souvenirs — yippee!).
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When she arrived to pick up her dog, who I’d been watching for 18 days, she let out a few coughs before I gave her an aromatherapy neck pad, a lavender face mask and let her relax on my couch. I felt fine. However, two days later, I was laid out across my dog’s couch — and I ended up sweating, coughing and hated the taste of everything. I lost 6 lbs and realized her vacation illness had spread to me. Outside of walking my own dog three times a day, and taking a few extra breaks to catch my breath, I didn’t go anywhere else. I even canceled most of my video work meetings (minus a couple of phone interviews about artificial intelligence with Bloomberg).
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While I quietly worked and not-so-quietly coughed at home, I could easily log into my doctor’s messaging platform via the hospital website, tell her what was wrong with me and she could order a prescription. I picked it up — because I didn’t want to wait for mail delivery — and ordered cough medicine from a popular e-commerce platform. Voila! A few days later, I was feeling like myself again.
So, when I think of the cuts that the “Big Beautiful Bill” are responsible for, I shake my head. These tech-centric opportunities are saving people money, time and the ability to not spread germs to others. Being able to afford health insurance means more people have the opportunity to use telemedicine and be less of a health risk to each other.
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Telemedicine makes life easier for pet owners too
Telemedicine is also a relief for pet owners who don’t have cars. Instead of potentially exposing their ill dog to another dog via carrier on public transportation or worrying about which ride-booking driver will allow dogs, vet telemedicine can help pet owners speak virtually to a licensed veterinarian, order the pet medication online, and give their dog the option of not having to walk or ride somewhere when (s)he may be struggling to walk as much as I was.
But who is using telemedicine anyway? What demographics? Where? Is it always saving people money or costing some health insurance members more money? Find out more here.