Features & Benefits Issue III

The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) defines telehealth as "the use of electronic information and telecommunication technologies to support and promote long-distance clinical healthcare, patient, and professional health-related education, public health and health administration."

Telehealth is not new! Actually, a variety of telehealth services have been around for some time with minimal usage. However, recently, when doctors' offices and healthcare providers/hospitals closed or took steps to reduce the number of people gathering in one place to help minimize the spread of the coronavirus to patients, telehealth usage exploded in popularity among primary care doctors. To further maximize its use, private and government health plans removed restrictions and added reimbursements for more telehealth services.

BluMine's Chief Medical Director, Dr. Eric Yazel, is quoted as saying, "The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge for all healthcare delivery organizations. BluMine Health was able to balance the importance of maintaining uninterrupted service with fostering a safe practice environment for our own team members by utilizing telehealth services. By using this technology, our providers were able to rapidly evaluate our patients and either treat them immediately or determine the appropriate path for further evaluation, which ensures efficient and judicious healthcare resource utilization. This rapid adaptability to meet the needs of our clients - even in some of the most difficult circumstances - underscores BluMine Health's dedication to provide the highest quality of service to their clients."