Oneida Health offering telehealth service for patient visits

ONEIDA — Oneida Health has implemented telehealth at all of its primary-care offices, its Quick Care locations, and many of its specialty practices throughout Madison and Oneida counties. 

The organization announced that it took the step to help meet the needs of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Across the nation, the public-health crisis has led to many patients forgoing doctor’s visits even when they really need them.

Telehealth allows patients to have a face-to-face visit with their medical provider without a traditional visit to the office. Using telehealth, a provider can evaluate, develop a treatment plan, order medication, and if needed, schedule a follow-up appointment. Patients can access telehealth from their home just prior to the start of their appointment by clicking on a link sent to their smartphone, computer, or tablet.

“During this unprecedented time, it remains important for us to continue our mission to find ways to deliver care to the communities we serve,” Gene Morreale, president and CEO of Oneida Health, said in a statement. “Telehealth is a convenient, secure, and user-friendly option to receive quality health care from a remote location while maintaining social distancing.”

Current patients of their primary-care office or specialty practices can schedule a telehealth appointment by calling the office. Individuals seeking urgent care for non-life-threatening conditions can call for an on-demand telehealth visit at one of Oneida Health’s Quick Care locations. 

Quick Care offers telehealth visits seven days a week during open office hours. Patients who require a face-to-face visit can still come directly to the closest Quick Care location, if needed, Oneida Health said. 

Some common conditions that can be treated using telehealth in a primary-care setting or at Quick Care include allergies, asthma, colds and flu, diarrhea, rashes, sore throats, toothaches, urinary tract infections, sinus infections, and vomiting. 

Telehealth services can vary by a health-care provider’s specialty. A gynecologist might use telehealth to provide birth-control counseling. An endocrinologist may use it to discuss recent test results and follow-up, the health system explains. Each patient is triaged to determine if a telehealth visit is appropriate for the level of care they are seeking. 

“As a health-care provider, it’s important for us to address barriers to care,” said Morreale. “We have seen a number of patients recently suffer unnecessarily due to putting off care due to the pandemic. We hope that by implementing telehealth, patients will be more likely to access care when they need it and when it is the most treatable. For patients who require care for life-threatening conditions, our emergency department is always open.”

Oneida Health has 32 medical providers throughout its network providing telehealth “with more being added each week.” Telehealth is currently covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most commercial insurers, Oneida Health noted.