Telemedicine Can Make a Difference

A tropical storm tore through Texas this past weekend.

 

Tons of rain, some wind, widespread flooding.

 

People in isolation.

 

My telemedicine provider put me on “alert.”

 

I took almost 150 calls over three days.

 

Most were simple, some involved some taxing problems—especially since the pharmacies were nearly all closed.

 

One was a woman in labor panicking and not knowing what to do.

 

I was able to care for them all, to get them what they needed.

 

I had the same experience in Ohio last winter during a particularly nasty snow.

 

No resources, just me and the patient over the phone doing the best we could.

 

It was terrifically rewarding.

 

Whenever I tell my former partners I’m making a living doing telemedicine, I usually get a sigh and a comment of envy.  Every once in a while, someone makes a snide comment about the easy work and not making a difference.

 

That’s when I think about weekends like this—and smile.