Telehealth and telemedicine for coronavirus: What it is and how to use it now
What is telemedicine?
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, telemedicine is defined as “the practice of medicine using technology to deliver care at a distance. A physician in one location uses a telecommunications infrastructure to deliver care to a patient at a distant site.”
Testa says his hospital is using telemedicine both within and outside the hospital to manage the influx of patients needing care. “We're using video visits inside of our hospitals, and inside of our emergency departments, to minimize exposure to our staff, as well as exposure to other patients who are immunocompromised,” he says.
How to use telemedicine
A good place to start is to check with your health care provider, provider system or hospital’s app for a telemedicine portal, download it and follow the prompts.
“We've been doing video visits for over a year and a half — we've already done about 15,000 of them,” says Testa. “What we've learned in interviewing our patients is that more often than not, they had plans to either go to their primary care doctor and it is off-hours, or they had planned to go to a brick-and-mortar urgent care. Virtual urgent care is just more convenient than those options.”
At NYU Langone, for example, Testa says these video visits are fully integrated into patients’ online health profiles, and visible to their primary care doctors who can easily see what labs or X-rays have been ordered.
If you don’t have a primary care doctor and prefer to use urgent care when you need it, virtual urgent care apps, like PlushCare, Doctor on Demand or MDLive, can give you virtual access to a doctor, 24/7.
Ryan McQuaid, CEO and co-founder of PlushCare, says that under normal circumstances, patients who use his telemedicine platform tend to use it as a primary care provider.
He says these patients usually fall into three buckets: They use telemedicine to manage ongoing conditions, like depression, diabetes or hypertension; everyday care issues like hair loss or birth control; and urgent care issues, like cold and flu, sinus infections or UTIs. And their patients aren’t just tech-forward millennials — McQuaid says elderly patients have begun to embrace telemedicine.
Weight Loss And You: Ways To Make It Really Happen
There are many fad diets and plans out there that offer easy solutions to weight loss, but the safest and lasting way to lose weight is through proper diet and exercise. To learn how to lose weight effectively and safely, and to keep it off, read through the tips below.
Avoiding soda is an easy way to lose weight without reducing food intake. Water is the best substitute, but milk, juice, and other natural, healthy choices are also important. Reducing the amount of sugar and calories you consume by avoiding soda and other unhealthy drinks will greatly supplement any weight loss effort.
One great way to lose weight if you are at work is to take the stairs instead of the elevator. It's a simple tip, but it really works. It you work on the 10th floor and it takes about 30 second to go up a flight of stairs, it will take you only 5 minutes to get to your destination. The wait and travel time for an elevator will probably close to that, if not longer.
A quick way to lose weight is to spend just fifteen minutes a day exercising. Exercise is any activity that elevates your heart rate, so even taking a brisk fifteen minute walk counts. Combine this with a once a week intense workout and you will be able to lose weight easily.
A great suggestion to aid in your weight loss is to drink small protein shakes when you begin to feel hungry. Ice and protein powder is all you need to fill your tummy.
A tip that may help you lose weight is to invest in a cup measurer. Cup measurers are great, because they allow you to measure out exactly how much food you want to eat. For example, you can measure out a whole cup of milk or only half.
Another tip to help you lose those unwanted pounds, is to increase your level of exercise. Depending on your health and medical condition, you may want to start out with a leisurely walk and build up from there. Small changes, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, can make a difference in the amount of calories you burn each day. In order to lose weight you must burn more calories than you take in, so by increasing your exercise level, you will be able to lose weight faster.
Make sure you are eating at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Fruits and veggies are great for you. They contain vitamins and antioxidants that help your metabolism. They are also very low calorie. They will keep you remain full and be a smart alternative to other snack foods.
For most dieters, briskly walking can actually be better for you than running, especially if you are more than 50 pounds overweight. When you run as a heavy person, you're causing your joints damage and can damage your heart. By walking quickly, though, you're still burning more info calories while protecting your body.
French fries are one of the worst foods that you can put into your body if you are trying to lose weight. They are very high in fat content and generally are cooked with oil, which can increase your calorie count dramatically. Avoid French fries at all costs when attempting to shed pounds.
Eating an apple before a meal will help you to lose weight. Apples are filled with fiber, which will help you to feel full faster. Don't eat a large one, just a small one to get some of the benefits that the fruit is loaded with. An apple a day keeps the weight away!
When you are planning a healthy diet, you should aim to eat about 2000 calories each day. Determine your nutrition needs, and be aware of your intake at each meal. If you discover that your diet lacks balance over time, you can either change your food choices, or add a multivitamin.
When following any weight loss plan, make yourself some low-calorie snack bags such as a bag of sliced carrots, a bag of juicy grapes or a bag with 25 pretzel sticks. Not only will these snacks be handy and quickly accessed, these low-calorie snacks will give you a feeling of fullness and stave off hunger. They can also keep you from hitting the vending machines at work for those high-calorie, junk food selections.
Going to the grocery store can be a challenge when trying to lose weight. You will be tempted at every turn and may buy some foods that aren't helpful for weight loss. Make a list before going and set a shopping time limit. If you only have 20 minutes to shop, you won't waste time looking at foods that are not on the list.
If you are dining at a Mexican restaurant, tell the waitress to hold the salsa and chips. Chips are something that you should not be munching on and can cause excessive weight gain over the course of the week. When going out to restaurants, only eat the meal that you are served.
Serve your foods in restaurant style with no seconds. Placing your food out on the dinner table in bowls and plates just makes people, including you, reach for more. When you are finished with whatever is on your plate, there is no more left to eat, resulting in no weight gain.
In order to maximize your weight loss excess, don't deprive yourself completely of foods that you love. It's okay to treat yourself to something decadent every once in a while, as long as you use moderation. For example, instead of eating a pint of ice cream in a single sitting, make that pint last for a couple of weeks. Allow yourself smaller portions of the pint stretched out over longer time periods.
You should visualize yourself at the size you want to be. Imagining how you will look, live and feel when you have lost the weight can be a great motivator. You can think about the new and exciting things that you will be able to do. You can also imagine the great clothes that you will be able to wear that you cannot wear now.
Now that you can see how easy it is to make changes in your lifestyle, you can apply these tips to your life. These tips may seem simplistic, and though losing weight is, in fact, simple, it is not easy. You do, however, have the power to change your life.
Diet Doc Announces Great hCG Diet Alternative
In an effort to bring the power of an hCG diet alternative to patients nationwide, Diet Doc Has created a revised hCG diet plan featuring low dose naltrexone, a great hCG replacement for weight loss.
ATLANTA, March 2, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- While the HCG diet has a proven record of providing successful weight loss, some find the drastically reduced calorie intake to be troublesome. However, because it provides such astounding weight loss, the hCG diet is still utilized for off label weight loss use. Doctors are able to prescribe hCG, or human gonadotropin, for off label uses such as weight loss. The powerful hormone stimulates the body's ability to burn fat, and this combined with a low calorie diet plan can produce drastic results for all body types.
In an effort to bring the power of an hCG diet alternative to patients nationwide, Diet Doc Has created a revised hCG diet plan featuring low dose naltrexone, a great hCG replacement for weight loss.
Low dose naltrexone helps users lose weight by reducing appetite, and helping to reduce the hormones in the body responsible for emotional eating and snacking.
Diet Doc's new medical weight loss plans use Low Dose Naltrexone to produce great results, similar to the hCG diet. Aside from easier weight loss, LDN has been found to provide the following benefits to users:
Increases natural endorphins, dopamine;
Improved effects on mood, well-being;
Decreases inflammation;
Increases sex drive;
Safe to use long term;
First improvement is in mood / sense of wellbeing;
Clinical strength LDN is extremely safe when used for weight loss, with nearly zero side-effects being reported. Dieters can use Diet Doc's LDN as a long-term appetite suppressant without fear of discontinuing use abruptly, as LDC's safety is very well established. In addition, Diet Doc's LDC can be used in conjunction with other Diet Doc clinical weight loss aids like Oxytocin, MetWell, Sermorelin, Lipotropics like vitamin B-12 injections, and nearly any other, allowing users to experience much easier weight loss than with dieting alone.
The Diet Doc Weight loss system is simple. Interested dieters simply schedule a free consultation with a licensed Diet Doc physician, conducted conveniently and privately from the patient's own home via Skype or telephone conference. During this consultation a licensed doctor will evaluate the patient, using complex questionnaires and medical insight to expose underlying causes for weight gain.
Each new patient receives a free initial clinical evaluation, as well as unlimited doctor consultations for as long as they remain on the Diet Doc medical weight loss system.
Similar to the hCG diet plan, after the patient's initial consultation, Diet Doc begins working with their licensed nutritionists to develop an individualized diet plan based on each individual's personal factors including age, weight, long term goals, and current health. Each diet plan is a little different because it is designed around the dieter's individual factors.
To complement the medical weight loss plan, Diet Doc patients have access to the company's complete line of prescription weight loss aids, helping boost results to nearly 20 pounds per month. All prescription diet aids are produced in an FDA approved compounding pharmacy located in the United States, and all prescription medication is delivered directly to each client's door, saving the patient time, money, and unnecessary effort.
Every year, millions of adults and even children are considered obese by prevailing medical standards. Whether you are borderline obese or are just looking to shed a few pounds, the advice in this selection of weight loss tips and tricks will give you some additional insight into effective weight loss success and strategies.
Avoiding soda is an easy way to lose weight without reducing food intake. Water is the best substitute, but milk, juice, and other natural, healthy choices are also important. Reducing the amount of sugar and calories you consume by avoiding soda and other unhealthy drinks will greatly supplement any weight loss effort.
Join an on-line forum to help you lose weight. There are hundreds of people out there who need encouragement and support for weight loss goals. Search the Internet for groups, find one you are comfortable with and get the on-line support you need to help you through hard times you may face while accomplishing your weight lose goals.
A great way to accelerate weight loss is to add interval training to your exercise regimen. Varying your usual workouts to include sessions comprised of short bursts of intense activity interspersed with longer periods of rest can produce impressive results. An additional benefit of interval training is that it promotes greater fat loss in a shorter period of time than traditional steady-state cardiovascular exercise.
A great tip to help you get fit is to invest in a good fat burning supplement. Fat burning supplements will give you that extra edge when you're looking to shed some fat. You just want to make sure you buy a legitimate supplement that is backed by the FDA.
For weight loss, make sure you consume the right amount of food daily. You don't want to eat too much or too little. To ensure a proper balance throughout the day - eat something every few hours - but not too much. Just manage your meals properly and have healthy snacks in between - this should help!
Always eat breakfast first thing in the morning prior to leaving your home. Don't make the mistake of grabbing a "convenient" breakfast just because you're in a hurry. Unfortunately, these common breakfast items are high in calories and low in nutrition. If you sit down and have fresh fruit and oatmeal before leaving your house, you won't need to eat a breakfast pastry that is high in calories.
If you are in the mood for something crunchy, don't grab the entire potato chip bag and run. Instead, place one or two handfuls of the snack into a Ziploc bag to control the amount of salt you will be putting into your body. This is a great way to control portions.
Inform your family and friends that you are on a new exercise plan and diet. Get the on your side right from the beginning. They'll be much less likely to offer you unwanted snacks and to try to interfere with your exercise time. Who knows? They may get on the band wagon right alongside you!
Stand up while you are on the phone. Every little bit helps. Next time the phone rings, don't just sit there while you talk. Stand up and pace around. Many people are capable of talking on the phone for long periods of time. If you talk for half an hour, that's thirty minutes worth of walking you've just accomplished.
When trying to lose weight, reward yourself with something other than food. A new dress looks great after you've lost ten pounds. A trip to the spa is well deserved after twenty pounds are gone. Rewards are important as they give you something to look forward to and keep you motivated.
Alternate your daily intake of calories to keep your metabolism confused. If you adjust your eating habits to eat the same number of calories every day, your metabolism may adjust to this and slow down in order to conserve energy. Instead, eat a varying number of calories. One day eat a higher number than the next when you eat a few. This will keep your metabolism burning at a higher rate.
Make sure you're getting proper nutrition while you're dieting. It is a mistake to rely on low-fat, low-calorie processed foods that offer little to no nutritional value. You might lose weight that way, but your health will suffer in the long term.
Breakfast is one of the most integral meals that you can consume, as it will help to reduce the cravings that you have during the day and inject energy into your body. Eat a hearty meal when you wake up and complement this with a light lunch, for maximum weight loss.
Do not trick yourself into thinking that sugar substitutes are considerably more healthy than real sugar. Artificial sweeteners like Splenda, aspartame, and others are acceptable in small amounts, but most weight loss experts agree that it is best to avoid sugars, real or fake, as much as possible when trying to drop inches.
If you're trying to lose weight and attending a party, bring a dish along with you. Having a fruit plate, diet friendly dessert or low-fat side on the table will help you to avoid sabotaging your weight loss plan. Your friends will enjoy the dish as well get more info and never have to know that it's "diet food."
Know your BMI. Everyone should know their BMI or Body Mass Index. Search online for a BMI calculator and simply input your height and weight. It will tell you if you are in the healthy weight range for people of your height. By knowing what is considered the normal range of weight, you will have a goal to aim for.
You should visualize yourself at the size you want to be. Imagining how you will look, live and feel when you have lost the weight can be a great motivator. You can think about the new and exciting things that you will be able to do. You can also imagine the great clothes that you will be able to wear that you cannot wear now.
Now that you can see how easy it is to make changes in your lifestyle, you can apply these tips to your life. These tips may seem simplistic, and though losing weight is, in fact, simple, it is not easy. You do, however, have the power to change your life.
Diet Doc Announces Great hCG Diet Alternative
In an effort to bring the power of an hCG diet alternative to patients nationwide, Diet Doc Has created a revised hCG diet plan featuring low dose naltrexone, a great hCG replacement for weight loss.
ATLANTA, March 2, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- While the HCG diet has a proven record of providing successful weight loss, some find the drastically reduced calorie intake to be troublesome. However, because it provides such astounding weight loss, the hCG diet is still utilized for off label weight loss use. Doctors are able to prescribe hCG, or human gonadotropin, for off label uses such as weight loss. The powerful hormone stimulates the body's ability to burn fat, and this combined with a low calorie diet plan can produce drastic results for all body types.
In an effort to bring the power of an hCG diet alternative to patients nationwide, Diet Doc Has created a revised hCG diet plan featuring low dose naltrexone, a great hCG replacement for weight loss.
Low dose naltrexone helps users lose weight by reducing appetite, and helping to reduce the hormones in the body responsible for emotional eating and snacking.
Diet Doc's new medical weight loss plans use Low Dose Naltrexone to produce great results, similar to the hCG diet. Aside from easier weight loss, LDN has been found to provide the following benefits to users:
Increases natural endorphins, dopamine;
Improved effects on mood, well-being;
Decreases inflammation;
Increases sex drive;
Safe to use long term;
First improvement is in mood / sense of wellbeing;
Clinical strength LDN is extremely safe when used for weight loss, with nearly zero side-effects being reported. Dieters can use Diet Doc's LDN as a long-term appetite suppressant without fear of discontinuing use abruptly, as LDC's safety is very well established. In addition, Diet Doc's LDC can be used in conjunction with other Diet Doc clinical weight loss aids like Oxytocin, MetWell, Sermorelin, Lipotropics like vitamin B-12 injections, and nearly any other, allowing users to experience much easier weight loss than with dieting alone.
The Diet Doc Weight loss system is simple. Interested dieters simply schedule a free consultation with a licensed Diet Doc physician, conducted conveniently and privately from the patient's own home via Skype or telephone conference. During this consultation a licensed doctor will evaluate the patient, using complex questionnaires and medical insight to expose underlying causes for weight gain.
Each new patient receives a free initial clinical evaluation, as well as unlimited doctor consultations for as long as they remain on the Diet Doc medical weight loss system.
Similar to the hCG diet plan, after the patient's initial consultation, Diet Doc begins working with their licensed nutritionists to develop an individualized diet plan based on each individual's personal factors including age, weight, long term goals, and current health. Each diet plan is a little different because it is designed around the dieter's individual factors.
To complement the medical weight loss plan, Diet Doc patients have access to the company's complete line of prescription weight loss aids, helping boost results to nearly 20 pounds per month. All prescription diet aids are produced in an FDA approved compounding pharmacy located in the United States, and all prescription medication is delivered directly to each client's door, saving the patient time, money, and unnecessary effort.
Effective Tips For Choosing The Right Health Insurance
Trying to figure out which health insurance to buy is almost as difficult as doing your own taxes. You need information and solid advice in order to choose a health insurance that works for you. The tips in this article will help you focus on the important things without getting overwhelmed by details that do not matter.
To lower the deductible costs of your health insurance, choose a plan whose network includes your primary care doctor as well as your preferred specialists. This will save you from paying a fee to continue to visit your primary care doctor and from paying fees to see your preferred specialists.
Let your medical insurance company know that you are traveling. Some companies will not provide any coverage to you or your family in a foreign country unless you purchase extra coverage. You may not end up needing it, but it is always better to be safe than sorry when you are traveling.
If your looking into personal health insurance some companies will let you take a "free look" or a "test drive" of the coverage. What this means is that you would have a certain amount of time to actually try out the insurance that way you will fully understand the coverage. Within that certain period of time if you are not satisfied you can get a full refund.
Before purchasing health insurance, take your own needs into consideration. You do not want to be stuck paying for health insurance that does not help you with the care you need. For instance, if you plan on starting a family soon, get a health plan that covers pregnancy and delivery costs.
Do not lie about anything when taking out a health insurance policy. It might be tempting to omit certain details. Resist the urge and be completely honest. A little white lie can make your entire policy useless. You do not want to find yourself stuck with the bill if you happen to get hospitalized and caught in a lie.
Buy copies of your own medical records when searching for health insurance. There are facilities available that allow you to purchase valid, legal copies of your own medical records, and having these will allow you to accurately confirm or deny what the insurance company asks of you. It will also let you check for mistakes in your records.
It might sound a bit out of the box, but some people go to an insurance broker to find the best health insurance provider. Many brokers have a very large network at their fingertips, and they will try their best to get you the best deals and find you someone that fits all or most of your specifications.
It might sound a bit out of the box, but some people go to an insurance broker to find the best health insurance provider. Many brokers have a very large network at their fingertips, and they will try their best to get you the best deals and find you someone that fits all or most of your specifications.
If you have a pre-existing condition, you should do research before signing with a particular company for health coverage. Several companies will not cover you if you suffer from a pre-existing condition, and there are some that charge more for coverage. The best way to get a good price is if you do some research.
Read several unbiased articles online about how to find the best health insurance at the greatest rates. You will be able to find a wealth of great information and this will help ensure that you are not paying more than you should be for the protection that you need for your health.
Group insurance is almost always cheaper than personal insurance, so see if any organizations in your area offer it to members and then join the group. There are many groups that offer insurance to people who are self-employed, or alumni of a college, for example. Check around locally and you're bound to find many options to choose from.
When getting ready to change switch your health insurance policy to a different one, consider how many unexpected doctor appointments click here you had for recurring minor medical issues in recent years. These issues are illnesses like the common cold or flu. Find their average cost per year. If you can, list their costs with and without insurance.
When your child goes off to college you'll need to consider their health insurance coverage. Contact your insurance company to see at what age you need to remove them from your insurance policy and get them their own personal coverage. It can range from 19 to 31 years old, depending on which state you live in.
If you want to move states and are doing your research to choose which state to go to, health insurance variations should play a part in your choice. For example, New York is one of the most expensive states to be insured in, so it may not be a great choice.
When you've decided on a plan, be very careful filling out your application. If you write anything that is dishonest, or if you make simple mistakes, the policy could become null and void or it could be denied. Slowly and carefully fill out your application. Don't wind up paying for silly mistakes.
Take the time to understand your state's laws when it comes to health insurance. Each state may vary in regulations and guidelines for health insurance carriers, making it important that you understand what a carrier can legally exclude or cover. Understanding the laws in your state of residence can prevent an unpleasant surprise, especially if you have a pre-existing condition or prior illness.
Ask your local physician about your medical records before applying for health insurance. Many private health insurance providers will review your 10 year medical history before allowing you to purchase a policy, so make sure that your medical records are up-to-date and discuss any health issues that insurance companies might red flag with your physician.
While the decision to purchase a specific kind of health insurance often comes down to what one can afford, other considerations are important because the entire purchase of insurance is based on the possibility that an individual will need expensive medical care. This article has given you the information to make an informative decision. Take your time to digest and you will make right choice.
Safety for Essential Providers Using Telemedicine and Telehealth
Safety for essential providers using telemedicine and telehealth
OSHA published a number of guidelines and approaches to offer healthcare providers assistance when safeguarding their patients, but it is still necessary for patients to see a provider to discuss concerns about their health, for regular checkups and any post-procedure follow-up appointments.
This eliminates a provider’s capacity to remain socially distant and also requires on-site support staff to sustain the day-to-day business.
Telemedicine offers a workable solution during lockdowns as telemedicine benefits health providers by providing them with the capacity to maintain revenue and care while providing immunocompromised patients with convenience and safety. Notably, both providers and patients don’t need to be computer savvy to use the technology.
Convenience and comfort are driving the rise in popularity of telemedicine and telehealth. Although providers and patients were suddenly dropped into situations where remote services were necessary, comfort and convenience have been acknowledged as an advantage that could be implemented permanently when businesses return to normal operations.
Telehealth and telemedicine for coronavirus: What it is and how to use it now
What is telemedicine?
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, telemedicine is defined as “the practice of medicine using technology to deliver care at a distance. A physician in one location uses a telecommunications infrastructure to deliver care to a patient at a distant site.”
Testa says his hospital is using telemedicine both within and outside the hospital to manage the influx of patients needing care. “We're using video visits inside of our hospitals, and inside of our emergency departments, to minimize exposure to our staff, as well as exposure to other patients who are immunocompromised,” he says.
How to use telemedicine
A good place to start is to check with your health care provider, provider system or hospital’s app for a telemedicine portal, download it and follow the prompts.
“We've been doing video visits for over a year and a half — we've already done about 15,000 of them,” says Testa. “What we've learned in interviewing our patients is that more often than not, they had plans to either go to their primary care doctor and it is off-hours, or they had planned to go to a brick-and-mortar urgent care. Virtual urgent care is just more convenient than those options.”
At NYU Langone, for example, Testa says these video visits are fully integrated into patients’ online health profiles, and visible to their primary care doctors who can easily see what labs or X-rays have been ordered.
If you don’t have a primary care doctor and prefer to use urgent care when you need it, virtual urgent care apps, like PlushCare, Doctor on Demand or MDLive, can give you virtual access to a doctor, 24/7.
Ryan McQuaid, CEO and co-founder of PlushCare, says that under normal circumstances, patients who use his telemedicine platform tend to use it as a primary care provider.
He says these patients usually fall into three buckets: They use telemedicine to manage ongoing conditions, like depression, diabetes or hypertension; everyday care issues like hair loss or birth control; and urgent care issues, like cold and flu, sinus infections or UTIs. And their patients aren’t just tech-forward millennials — McQuaid says elderly patients have begun to embrace telemedicine.