Survey: Clinicians adapting

More than half of the respondents to a second survey from the Clinician Task Force say they're starting to use telehealth, Cathy Carver says.

Of the clinicians who are using telehealth, 30% say they're using a HIPAA-compliant version of Zoom, 12% are using Microsoft Teams and 8% are using Doxy.Me.

“That's a big change from our last survey,” said Carver, executive director of CTF. “There's more use of
telehealth.”

More than 150 clinicians responded to CTF's second survey.

CTF has also developed a decision tree to provide clinical guidance on how to continue serving patients during the pandemic. The decision tree walks clinicians through questions like, is there an urgent need for equipment, is your clinic open and is the patient at high-risk for COVID-19? Answers include scheduling an appointment and coordinating with patient and caregiver to prepare for the appointment; considering telehealth options; and deferring appointment to a later time.

“It's really centered around the patient,” Carver said. “You can have two patients side by side with the same diagnosis and one is scared to come face to face with you and the other is willing to take the risk. It's one of those individualized conversations.”

Additionally, CTF has provided guidance to clinicians on patients who have tested positive for COVID-19: They need to test negative twice and be asymptomatic before they receive a face-to-face
appointment.

“It's something (clinicians) need to be aware of; it's something we're facing,” Carver said. “Don't freak out about it; just be prepared and educated.”