Summer’s fun is fleeting—and with COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing measures still in place, people are restless to enjoy more of those summertime outdoor adventures. More so than ever, when summer fun is interrupted with an unexpected ailment or injury, patients don’t want to waste a moment waiting to get care. Virtual care has proven to be a compelling resource when it comes to treating warm-weather related conditions, especially in light of COVID-19.
Working on the clinical content team, I help develop and manage the protocols that are used to treat patients most frequently on our platform. Here are some of our robust features and functionality helping treat warm-weather ailments this summer.
COVID-19 screener
With the resurgence of cases across the country, it’s important for patients to keep non-emergent care needs out of clinics and use virtual care when possible. Whether it’s an intelligent interview, video visit, or referral for in-person care–our COVID-19 screener triages patients with related concerns to the best mode of care for their needs.
Asynchronous photo sharing
Our platform has an image upload feature that can be very helpful when treating summertime ailments. On the Fabric platform, Eczema is the most commonly treated protocol in the summer and, in order to get care, asynchronous photo sharing is required for patients. With this feature, providers can get a clear, detailed look at a rash, bite, sunburn, or allergic reaction to help inform their diagnosis and treatment plan.
Intelligent interviews
Allergies are another common summertime condition, and one of the most-treated using our intelligent (asynchronous) interviews. Our asynchronous telehealth feature can easily be used to treat patients when applicable, or be used to determine if a video visit or in-person care is needed.
Video visits
A number of chronic conditions flare up or worsen in the summer (like asthma). With video visits, patients can still get “face-to-face” care with their primary doctor if their condition is worsening, or get treated if they are experiencing new symptoms or conditions. Video visits also help reduce exposure, giving at-risk patients the care they need while keeping them out of clinics.
Flexible diagnosis and prescribing options
Providers have the ability to search for any diagnosis and create custom treatment plans for conditions not addressed via our intelligent interviews, such as less common bug bites. These tools allow providers to search for any ICD-10 code and prescribe a medication to treat the condition, if applicable.
COVID-19 has driven people to become more adventurous and creative with their outdoor activities. As more people spend time enjoying the sunshine, they become more susceptible to those warm-weather ailments: with virtual care, we can better help keep patients safe, healthy, and out of clinics this summer.
