First of all, I hope all of you are doing well and are staying healthy and safe.
While cancelling appointments and surgeries is disappointing, I do agree with the decision by our local hospitals to postpone all elective surgeries for now. Until we have a better understanding of this virus and how many people will need to be hospitalized, we need to be careful about taking the risk of exposure and using up necessary supplies.
Most importantly we need to do everything we can to limit, and even stop the spread.
I am guessing that all of you found new ways to do many of the same things that used to require meeting in person.
- How many of you attended church through the internet this past Sunday?
- How many of you visited with a friend or family member through an audiovisual interface such as FaceTime?
- How many of you instead of going out had food delivered to your house last week?
The human spirit is amazing, and it is incredible to see how people can adapt to a changing environment.
How do we Treat Hip and Knee Pain during a Viral Pandemic?
I am also practicing social distancing by canceling nearly all of the appointments on my schedule. My office is still open to see urgent cases, but my goal is to limit the in-person interactions as much as possible.
While social distancing appears to be a critical step in limiting the spread of this virus, it also has an unwanted negative effect on you. Many of you are unable to be treated for your hip and knee pain due to osteoarthritis!
In a time of social distancing, what can we do? I am pleased to let you know that I am now offering telemedicine appointments.
What is Telemedicine?
A telemedicine appointment is the same as an in-person appointment, just done without being in the same room.
Without leaving your house, you can still see me as your orthopedic surgeon. I am currently utilizing a HIPAA compliant software called Amwell that allows you and I to interact. You can do this with your cell phone or through a computer. Through this interface, you can tell me where your pain is, what makes it worse, and what you have done to make it better.
I can then make suggestions of what we can do to help you with that pain. I can prescribe medications. I can prescribe physical therapy. Together, we can decide a next best step.
If an X-ray is needed, I can still arrange for that to happen. One option would be for you to go get an X-ray at a health facility near you and then forward these X-rays on to my office.
We can also take an X-ray at my office. In order to limit the risk of exposure, the process will be different than what you are used to. We will limit the risk of exposure by simply taking the X-ray and doing other else in the office. Everything will be done over the phone.
I will review the X-rays and then we can pick a time to interact with each other to discuss the results.
What if I Need Surgery?
Currently there are no elective hip and knee replacement procedures being performed in the entire country.
If you need hip or knee replacement, my goal is to help you get ready for the surgery so that as soon as it is safe to proceed, I can perform your surgery as soon as possible.
My goal is to continue to provide you with the care you need, to help you get ready for a surgery, if that is what you need, and at the same time to keep you safe.
If you would like to contact someone in my office about setting up a telemedicine appointment you can call 404-888-5120 or fill out the form below.
Our efforts to continue treating those with knee and hip osteoarthritis made the local news.
