Brent joined us to discuss Telemedicine and how he views the upcoming landscape, pitfalls, and strengths that we can offer patients as CEO of Valley Immediate Care, one of the leading Urgent Care Systems in Southern Oregon (and my first job as a PA-C!). I can't thank him enough for his time and sharing all the interesting information we covered. It definitely has me thinking differently about what it may mean for us as providers and patients in the future.

Please visit Maybemedical.com to leave comments and please rate us on your podcast feed to get the word out! Thanks Brent!

Terms Covered in Episode

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Telemedicine - Utilizing information technology to assess health for disease prevention and treatment or may refer to providing clinical health care from a distance.

Urgent Care Association

Urgent Care - Walk-in clinics focused on the delivery of acute care in a dedicated medical facility outside of a traditional emergency room. Urgent care centers treat injuries and illnesses that are not serious enough to require an emergency department visit.

Oceans of Opportunity, 2019 UCA Urgent Care Convention & Expo

“Store and Forward” - Describes the process of collecting digital medical information (records, x-rays, etc.) then transmitting to another provider for information or evaluation.

Remote Monitoring - Ability to use technology to monitor data (blood sugar, heart rate, rhythm, etc.) from a patient(s) in another location.

TeleHealth Alliance of Oregon

Morbidity - State of disease or injury.

Diabetes - Refers to a group of diseases that result from an inability to utilize or produce insulin (naturally produced hormone) and thus unable to process glucose (sugar) appropriately.  This leads to a large variety of complications.

Assisted Living - A community living situation generally for senior citizens who need some assistance with daily activities, but do not require care in a nursing home.

Skilled Nursing Facility - A dedicated facility or part of a hospital that provides short and long-term medical care from a team of staff that consists of nursing staff, assistants, therapists, and many more.

Norovirus - A really nasty viral gastrointestinal infection that is easily spread in close communities (Nursing facilities for exp) and very difficult to eradicate.

Admission - To be brought in to the hospital for specific medical care.  Entails obtaining a medical history, making a medical diagnosis, writing orders for treatment and other diagnostic procedures, diet, activity, etc.

Mortality - Referring to death as a result, or the state of death.

Pilot Program - Generally a small-scale, short-term trial or experimentation and implementation of ideas that helps an organization learn how a large-scale project might work in practice.

MA (Medical Assistant) - A health professional that works along side a medical team in an inpatient or outpatient setting that is considered an entry level medical position, but is very active with patient care from start to finish and a great job for anyone who would like to help patients.

AgilityUC - Electronic medical records software

Brookings - Beautiful! Go take a trip in the early summer or fall.

Littmann Telesteth

Welch Allyn Otoscope

X-Ray - A type of radiation called electromagnetic waves that creates 2D images of the inside of your body.

CBC (Complete Blood Count) - Lab used to evaluate a variety of factors.  White blood cell changes may reflect infection or cancer, platelet changes may reflect a bleeding disorder or cancer, hematocrit and hemoglobin reflect the concentration of red blood cells and their oxygen carrying capabilities (or cancer, yes cancer is always a top consideration for many abnormalities), and many more values to assess.

CMP (Complete Metabolic Panel) - Lab used to evaluate a variety of factors.  Electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, and calcium may reflect a nutritional change or disease state, liver enzymes are evaluated to assess possible infection such as hepatitis or alcohol abuse, and many more values are included.

Physical Therapist - A medical provider and part of the rehabilitation team to help assist with treatment, recovery, and overall well being of patients with chronic conditions, illnesses, or injuries.

Workcomp - Insurance and medical benefits for employees who are injured on the job.

SAIF - Oregon Worker's Compensation Insurance and Benefits

HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) - US law that provides data privacy and security provisions for safeguarding medical information that all medical providers must adhere to.

“See one, Do one, Teach One”

Consult - When asked to weigh in officially with your medical opinion from your specialty on a patient managed by another medical team or provider.

Rash - Temporary or permanent skin changes due to internal or external irritant/disease process.

Roman

Hims

Pillpack

OHSU (Oregon Health Sciences University)

Providence Express Care

Cannabis - The proper scientific name for the recreational and medical product now becoming legal.  The term Marijuana was used by Harry J. Anslinger to make it sound "more Mexican" for fear mongering during the early war on drugs that was essentially a class and race war.  #TrueStory

ED (Erectile Dysfunction) - Inability to obtain or maintain an adequate erection for sex.

Lipidemia - High levels of fats in your blood, requires lifestyle changes (diet, exercise) and at times medications to prevent heart attacks, stroke, and other consequences of long term elevated lipid levels.

Viagra - Original marketed drug used for ED that was, like many things, an accidental finding when looking to treat blood pressure.

UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) - More commonly in females due to a short urethra (where the pee comes out) and often caused by E. Coli (bacteria that is normally found in the gastrointestinal tract).  Symptom trifecta is urgency (“I have to go NOW!”), frequency ("but I just went!"), and dysuria ("ouch, it burns when I go or right at the end!").  Goes away with antibiotics and some studies have shown that cranberry juice (not cocktail) or pills may help in the early symptoms or to prevent onset.

UA (Urine Analysis) - Urine test used often to evaluate possible UTI.  Great resource on what to look for on a UA.

Medical History - The detailed and thorough questions you must ask of a patient to figure out the diagnosis and treatment.  "LOCATERS" is what I think of during each patient interview.  Location, Onset, Character of the pain (if present), what Alleviates it (if any), Timing, what Exacerbates it (if any), any Radiation or is the pain in one spot only, and Severity.   Then you have to ask Allergies and Meds, Past Medical History, Surgical History, Social History (smokes, drinks, what type of job, married, kids, etc), and Family History.  All easy to memorize once you get use to it.

CliaWaved

Skype

BP - Blood Pressure

SPO2 (Peripheral Capillary Oxygen Saturation) - Percent of oxygenated hemoglobin (protein responsible for carrying the oxygen molecule on red blood cells.) Amazing stuff!

Specific Gravity - Density of the solution.  Water is usually around 1.000  A pale ale may start around 1.060 before fermentation.  When the urine is more towards zero (less then 1.005) I assume the patient is very hydrated and the sample is diluted.  The higher the number (1.020+) may reflect a degree of dehydration or another disease process.

STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection) - Dear Reader, we use to call this a STD (!), but disease refers to a more permanent state and some "STIs" are curable with medications, thus not a disease.

Yeast Infection (Candidal Vulvovaginitis) - Overgrowth of naturally occurring yeast in the vagina resulting in common symptoms of white thick vaginal discharge (drainage), itching, and sometimes painful intercourse (dyspareunia).

Urine Culture - Taking the urine sample and growing it in a lab to see what the infecting organism is and what it is vulnerable to.  This guides our antibiotic treatment. 

Orthopedic Surgery - Branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system.

Dermatology - The branch focusing on the skin, both treatment and prevention of disease.

Medicare - Government funded insurance for anyone over the age of 65.

Center for Connected Health Policy TeleHealth Reimbursement State Laws

Reimbursement - Payment for services and medical supplies from insurance companies.

CDC (Centers for Disease Control) - THE resource for all things health related in the US.

Each and every episode of Maybe Medical is for educational purposes only, not to be taken as medical advice.  The opinions of those involved are of their own and not representative of their employer.