Beginning April 3, our phone hours will be from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Our offices will remain open until 5 p.m., but phone calls after 4:30 p.m. will go to our answering service.
by Anita Del Bianco, MD, FACOG
Premier Women’s Care of Southwest Florida is pleased to offer telehealth visits as an alternative to certain types of in-person visits.
Telehealth is part of our pledge to offer your more of the convenience you need.
It allows you to visit with us from the comfort of your home or office via Skype for Business, which offers video chat from a phone, laptop or tablet.
Telehealth emerged in the late 1990s as a way to increase access to health care for rural and other hard-to-serve populations. More recently, it has increased in popularity as a way to provide greater convenience for patients and reduce costs in many clinical settings.
Just before COVID-19 vastly accelerated the adoption of telehealth around the world, a Presidential Task Force on Telehealth of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists noted that telehealth had become widely used in obstetrics and gynecology.
“Evidence suggests that telehealth provides comparable health outcomes when compared with traditional methods of health care delivery without compromising the patient–physician relationship, and it also has been shown to enhance patient satisfaction and improve patient engagement,” according to the ACOG task force.
Given this endorsement form ACOG, along with the positive reception telehealth services have received from our patients, as well as our own satisfaction with its application in our practice, we have decided to continue to offer telehealth visits on a permanent basis after first introducing them during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Telehealth works well for visits that primarily involve sharing information, such as discussing birth control options, ultrasound or other test results, or plans for further treatment. Many follow-up appointments, including uncomplicated postpartum or postoperative visits, can also be done as virtual visits.
In some cases, an initial visit can be done via telehealth for matters such as urinary tract infections or vaginal discharge, where a physical examination or in-office diagnostic tests may or may not eventually be required. We can determine during a telehealth visit if an in-person visit is needed.
Telehealth visits are easy to do. Patients simply download an app to their phone or device for use in telehealth visits. Our office offers help and instructions, and most patients have been able to use telehealth without any problems.
Our electronic medical record system is interfaced with a telehealth service, and telehealth visits are billed the same way a regular office visit is billed. Co-pays are still charged as required by the insurance company, and most insurance companies do cover telehealth visits.
Of course, telehealth cannot replace traditional medicine, since providers are unable to perform physical exams via video. A physical exam is, and always will be, a crucial part of obstetrics and gynecology.
However, in instances where telehealth is a viable solution, we are glad to be able to offer this service to our patients for their safety and convenience.
Preeclampsia doubles a woman’s risk of heart disease and stroke. When you are at higher-than-average risk, it is important to make changes today for a healthier tomorrow, especially after a pregnancy complicated with blood pressure problems.
If you feel like sex just isn’t enjoyable anymore and other remedies haven’t helped as much as you would like, the MonaLisaTouch® just might be the answer you’ve been looking for. Contact us for a consultation or book an appointment online today.
At Premier Women’s Care of Southwest Florida, we are committed to our patients’ overall health and well-being. That's why we follow Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols, which are designed to shorten length of stay by promoting early mobility and recovery.
Many women prefer to have a natural birth experience, but sometimes a cesarean section is necessary to ensure a safe delivery. In these situations, a gentle cesarean section makes for a more natural experience where the mother can see her baby being born and hold it right away.
At Premier Women’s Care of Southwest Florida, heavy menstrual bleeding associated with perimenopause, fibroids and polyps can be treated with medical therapy or minimally invasive, in-office procedures that don’t require anesthesia or hospitalization.
Pelvic organ prolapse, also called pelvic prolapse, is common, affecting about a third of all women at some point in their lives. Fortunately, Premier Women’s Care of Southwest Florida offers many treatment options, so this condition doesn’t have to interfere with your daily activities and relationships.
