TELEMEDICINE HELPS TO ENSURE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PATIENTS

Natalia, aged 51, has high blood pressure and she measures it daily herself. During a recent checkup, Natalia made a video visit with her doctor Janina Etlis, MD, DO, without leaving her home due to an epidemic of coronovirus disease. Dr. Etlis was at the NYU Langone Outpatient Center at Rego Park, Queens.
During the video reception, using the NYU Langone Health app computer program, Natalia could communicate with her doctor in her native Russian language, just like during their usual visit.
“When I meet with my doctor it is easier for me to speak Russian,” Natalya notes. “Sometimes I don’t know some special terms in English, so it’s more convenient for me to speak Russian.”
“For me it was a very good experience,” says Natalya. “My appointment was scheduled for 9:55 in the morning and at 9:55 the doctor was already on the line. Our conversation lasted 15-20 minutes and we discussed everything that was needed. If I went to the doctor's office, I would spend an hour and a half, ”Natalya notes. “I didn't have to go to the office at all.”
Dr. Etlis checked Natalya’s blood pressure. They also discussed how she feels overall, how she sleeps, and how the new medicine works on her.
“Video visits have been a great way to keep in touch with my patients during a pandemic,” says Dr. Etlis. “This keeps patients safe, so they maintain a social distance and I have the opportunity to see them and be sure that their health is stable,” adds Dr. Etlis.
What makes NYU Langone's telemedicine system unique is its integrated platform. The patient portal, available online or by downloading the free mobile application, allows people to communicate with their team of doctors and receive their medical information, all taken together.
NYU Langone Health is rapidly expanding its telemedicine capabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic and becoming one of the largest comprehensive services on the East Coast, so patients can stay in touch with their healthcare providers - out of clinic visits, if possible - while critical times continue . Now NYU Langone has over 1300 providers using the telemedicine platform. Although telemedicine has proven to be a vital tool, most NYU Langone units remain open, but they only accept non-coronavirus patients who need a personal visit to doctors.
Even now, after the past few weeks, virtual patient visits are increasing with more than 5,700 video receptions per day in our clinics located in different places.
NYU Langone also uses Virtual Urgent Care, using the same NYU Langone Health app, to treat common, not too urgent illnesses such as cough, sore throat, flu symptoms and others.
According to Andrew Rubin, senior vice president of clinical disease and outpatient care at NYU Langone, “The transition to telemedicine during the public health crisis will continue and play an important role until we return to a more normal state, soon and also in future."