Taking Advantage of Telehealth

Imagine being able to get out of bed, do your normal morning routine, and then head to your doctor appointment – without having to leave home. There’s no need to find a babysitter for the kids, spend money on gas or lose more time from work.

That’s what thousands of people have experienced thanks to CVPH’s telehealth services. The program, which has already been operational for years, was expanded in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as an additional option to help patients get the care they need, when they need it.

“I definitely think a lot of patients are appreciative that we’re reaching out in some way to help them,” CVPH Family Medicine Center physician Maegan Cabrera, MD said. “It’s making them feel a little bit less isolated, which I think is a great thing in this time.”

Dr. Cabrera also noted that a telehealth video visit can help patients and providers make a connection that isn’t possible in the “new normal” of office visits that emphasize social distancing during the pandemic.

“We can see each other’s faces during a video visit. If we are in the office together, we actually lose some of that personality because we are in masks, so it might be a little better for the patient and the doctor.”

Here’s How It Works

First, talk with your health care provider to see if a video visit is right for you. If so, you’ll be scheduled and contacted by our support team to help you prepare, which includes downloading the Zoom Cloud Meetings app either from the app store onto your iPhone or iPad or from Google Play onto your Android. If you need another option, our support staff will be able to help.

[CLICK HERE FOR LIST OF PRACTICES OFFERING TELEHEALTH]

Below: a UVM Health Network provider and patient from CVMC talk about the impact of Telehealth.

A telehealth appointment allows patients to get questions answered, figure out if a concern needs to be investigated further in person with the provider and manage chronic conditions.

“I’ve been working on getting better control of my blood sugar numbers,” Brian Happel, a Peru resident with Type 2 Diabetes, said after a recent video visit with Dr. Cabrera. “Those numbers were going down, but I was worried they were getting too low. So, I was able to set up an appointment with my doctor, and we were able to figure out a plan to keep the blood sugar numbers from getting dangerously low.”

“If I hadn’t been able to talk to her, I could have had a serious problem or tried to solve it on my own,” Happel continued. “Trying to do it on my own could have caused more issues. So, I’m glad that I did the video visit.”

Whether it’s in person, on the phone or through videoconference technology, Dr. Cabrera stressed how important it is that people avoid delaying their care any longer.

“I think for certain types of visits, telehealth is a great, great thing. But, there are some visits where I need to listen to the lungs to see if there’s a pneumonia there. I need to listen to your heart beat to see if it’s irregular. I think there is a place for telehealth, but the in person visits do need to keep happening.”

CVPH is also using video visits in other settings like adult medicine, cardiology, OB/GYN and urology. To find out if a telehealth visit is right for you, please call your primary care provider. For more information on the program at CVPH, head to our telehealth page. Learn more about other ways to get care at CVPH here.

UPDATE: Recently, you may have heard reports of security and privacy issues with Zoom and we want to reassure you that the Zoom program that UVM Health Network has implemented across our practices is secure and private. Learn more about our security procedures here.