St. Anthony Regional Hospital and Clinics have recently announced a consolidation of clinical services to three sites, Carroll, Denison and Westside. They have also taken the step of initiating a telehealth system for patients. Internal Medicine Specialist, Dr. Mark Collison, explains.
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This gives them a way to interact with the patient by phone to treat chronic and ongoing diseases without potentially exposing them to the COVID-19 virus.
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If someone is exhibiting key symptoms of a coronavirus infection, Collison says that situation is dealt with in a different way.
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This service works well for established patients. New patients are encouraged to contact the clinic to determine their next steps.
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Patients utilizing telehealth services will need to have some things ready for the appointment including, but not limited to, their list of medications, blood sugar numbers for diabetics and recordings of temperature numbers for those with a fever. To date, Collison has completed about a dozen telehealth appointments and says though it has been easy so far, this is definitely different than the face-to-face interaction they are used to. He adds they have a new process in place for laboratory needs as well.
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Medicare is currently covering telehealth with the same co-pay the patient would have for a regular office visit. Private insurance varies. Dr. Collison says Blue Cross/Blue Shield is covering these, but patients are encouraged to contact their insurance provider and ask about coverage. To find out more about telehealth appointments, call the St. Anthony Clinic in Carroll at 712-792-2222.