Telemedicine on rise at local practices amid social distancing, covered by Medicaid

Doctors’ offices across Central Florida are utilizing telemedicine to find new ways to treat patients without seeing them in person.

With the technology, it only takes about two minutes for anyone with a mobile device or desktop computer to see a specialist from wherever they are.

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Wednesday marked day one of telemedicine at the Orlando Orthopedic Center. It is believed to be Central Florida’s first location in that specialty to launch the platform in a world where social distancing is the new normal.

From a specialized app, patients can schedule appointments and get a basic assessment from one of the same specialists they’d see if they were visiting the office in person. This keeps the practice’s staff of more than 300 safe amid the ongoing public health concerns.

The center has rolled out the technology on a limited basis but hopes by next week to expand across all 40 providers.

“Our appointments are available every 15 minutes with one of our orthopedic specialists at one of (our) orthopedic walk-in clinics,” said Kevin Joyce, executive director of the Orlando Orthopedic Center.

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Telemedicine is ideal for regular follow-up care, and post-op assessments, Joyce said.

“We’re not able to (check) vitals over a telemedicine visit, but we can at least assess the urgency of that, and it may avoid an unnecessary trip to the ER,” he said. “Not exactly the same as being person to person, but we can do the majority of what we do person to person or face to face.”

Insurance provider Medicaid is reminding people that appointments utilizing telemedicine are covered, at least while COVID-19 concerns are active.

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