Local doctors help patients through Telehealth

April 10, 2020

Jatrissa Wooten,

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Doctors at several local health facilities are seeing patients via mobile devices, allowing people to maintain social distancing.

Practices affiliated with Coliseum Medical Centers and Fairview Park Hospital are offering Telehealth — a system that patients can access from home. This is an effort to keep patients and medical worker safe during the pandemic.

Medical providers say Telehealth provides a number of benefits to both patients and doctors.

Dr. Joseph Bear with Coliseum Medical Centers says the system offers a real-time visit with a provider using a mobile device. It also offers a quick and appropriate response to patients in their homes, avoiding unnecessary travel.

“We can save them from having to drive from their home where they’re safe,” said Dr. Bear.

Doctors say, these virtual visits allow uninterrupted treatment of chronic diseases and are completely effective.

“Believe it or not about 50 to 75% of the things that we address on patients with that contact face to face encounter allows us really to find out what’s really going on with a patient,” explained the doctor. “And sometimes doing a limited exams of looking at somebody, you can tell if they are acutely ill or if they are stable.”

Dr. Bear says Telehealth is not for COVID related issues. He says it will also be available after the pandemic is over.

Telehealth can be accessed by the patient portal, Apple FaceTime, Google Duo, and WebEx Meetings.