LOCAL

Rebuilding America: Expect screening measures, more telehealth in the wake of coronavirus pandemic

Megan Banta
Lansing State Journal
A table of wristbands at the screening area near the main entrance of Sparrow Hospital in downtown Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, May 19, 2020. Before entering, staff, patients and guests must answer basic questions, have their temperature taken, sanitize their hands and don a mask. [MATTHEW DAE SMITH/USA Today Network]

LANSING – The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way people think about health care.

At first, it sparked fear, said Dr. Karen Kent VanGorder, chief medical officer for Sparrow Health System.

"We all began to think twice about seeking medical care during a time where there was a real or perceived threat," Kent VanGorder said.

People started figuring out ways to achieve basic services, she said, without going to physically visit the doctor.

Health care has responded by expanding telehealth options, but some people should still be going to see the doctor in person.

Hospitals and health systems are safe, as professionals have learned how to curtail the threat of COVID-19 over the past couple months, and people shouldn’t "shy away from seeing their physician or seeking that important health care," said Dr. Linda Peterson, chief medical officer for McLaren Greater Lansing.

Patients should expect going to the doctor or the hospital to feel different for some time, though.

Screenings, masks, social distancing could last a while

At both Sparrow Hospital and McLaren Greater Lansing, there are visible signs of how things have changed, including plexiglass at registration, screening stations, signs urging social distancing and masks.

Ashley Grissom, an RN, has her temperature taken by medical assistant Amy Slattery near the main entrance of Sparrow Hospital in downtown Lansing, Mich. on Tuesday, May 19, 2020. Prior to entering the hospital, staff, patients and guests must check in at a pre-screening area. [MATTHEW DAE SMITH/USA Today Network]

Waiting areas are either closed or have chairs spaced out. Visitors are limited to one per patient and must wear a mask, though patients can talk to loved ones on an iPad or other technology. 

When all of that can end is a "multi-million-dollar question," Peterson said.

"It could be years, and no one should feel completely comfortable until there’s a vaccine," Kent VanGorder said.

Those measures lessen controllable risk, and they give people a “feeling that we are doing everything we can for ourselves,” she said.

Patients should expect to see those measures at least until the fall, VanGorder and Peterson said.

There may be lessened restrictions on visitors before then at Sparrow, VanGorder said, once the related executive order lifts.

As the economy starts reopening, there might be a bit of a blip in cases, Peterson said, making those protections critical both at hospitals and elsewhere.

People need to maintain social distancing and good hand hygiene and to wear masks to keep flattening the curve, she said, to help avoid a second surge in the fall.

"We know that respiratory viruses tend to have a resurgence as the weather changes again," VanGorder said. 

Telehealth an 'essential tool' for future

Though some people will have to go to the hospital or doctor’s office for their appointments, many more won’t have to show up in person.

Patients have always had lots of choices in what level of health care they want to get, VanGorder said.

That’s now greatly expanded with telehealth.

And it will be expanding more, Peterson said.

The program will be an “essential tool going forward,” she said, though people have varying degrees of acceptance.

Older generations, especially, are more hesitant about a video chat with a provider, she said, though they’re more comfortable with a telephone conversation. Those audio chats are now reimbursable through insurance.

It’s important for patients to remember that the level of attention and response is different during a telehealth exam, Kent VanGorder said.

Health systems are thinking about how much they want to limit choices, Kent VanGorder said, pointing to care where a physical exam or x-ray might be key.

“I don’t want us to be too quickly reassured by an evaluation that maybe is incomplete,” she said.   

But patients now have more responsibility to sort themselves into different care levels, she said, and there are some things they should keep in mind.

“If you sort yourself to an online doctor in another state, they can’t listen to your lungs or push on your tummy or examine your pupils,” she said.

If someone’s temperature, pulse, ability to breathe or blood pressure are off, “it’s entirely possible you have a bigger problem," Kent VanGorder said, adding "Vitals are vital."

And if a treatment option doesn't resolve the health issue, seek additional care. "Don't be dismissed," Ken VanGorder said.

Contact reporter Megan Banta at mbanta@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @MeganBanta_1.

Tips for when to seek more care:

  1. Understand patients now have more responsibility to seek the care they need. 
  2. If your temperature, blood pressure, pulse or ability to breathe are off, there's likely an issue that needs more attention.
  3. If something simple doesn't work, go to the next step up. For example, if a cream isn't working on a rash, you should probably go see your family doctor.
  4. Ask again, if needed.