Telemedicine with the Doctors of Comprehensive Foot Centers
With the COVID-19 pandemic still forcing many of us to be extra careful when going out in public, you may be wondering if now is really the right time to see a podiatrist about your foot or ankle problem.
As an essential health provider, Comprehensive Foot Centers remains open to help people. But we also take your health extremely seriously and want to help you avoid any unnecessary risk of exposure.
That’s why we’re so excited to offer telemedicine as an option for certain types of appointments!
Although not every case can be handled remotely, telemedicine is an excellent option for many kinds of doctor-patient interactions where an in-person test or treatment isn’t necessarily required.
What Is Telemedicine?
During a telemedicine appointment, you and your doctor use video chat to meet, discuss your issue, and determine the next steps. You don’t need any special equipment, and you don’t need to be physically present in the same location. You can have your appointment from the safety and comfort of home!
Telemedicine can work very well for many types of appointments. Some examples include:
- Initial visual inspections and diagnoses. You can show the doctor your feet over video, talk about your symptoms, and even perform some basic tests for the doctor. This can help us arrive at a likely diagnosis, or at least determine what your next steps should be.
- Follow-up appointments. If you’re in the middle of an ongoing treatment plan, a video check-in to examine your feet may be all you really need. We can see how recovery from a wound or infection is progressing, for example, or even review previous charts and lab results.
- Refills and prescriptions. Telemedicine is a great option if you just need to refill a prescription, or you need a new prescription for an existing problem.
- Questions and advice. Have a question about your health care and want answers from a real medical professional? Telemedicine is by far the easiest way to do it.
If your appointment does not necessarily require an in-person procedure or diagnostic test, we encourage you to consider telemedicine—especially if you or someone you live with is considered at high risk for complications related to COVID-19.
Call us to find out if we can address your specific need via telemedicine.
How Does It Work?
The good news is that you very likely already have everything you need for a successful, secure, and HIPAA-compliant telemedicine appointment with one of our doctors:
- A device that can conduct video calls. Most people prefer to use their smartphone, but a laptop or desktop computer with a camera and microphone also works well enough.
- A reliable Internet connection.
- A quiet spot in your house with decent lighting.
If possible, we also recommend you have a trusted member of your household available to assist you with note-taking or camerawork as needed.
Most of our appointments are conducted via one of the following systems:
- This program comes pre-installed on virtually all modern iPhones, MacBooks, and other Apple-manufactured devices, and is the best choice for most patients who intend to use an Apple device for their appointment.
- Zoom. This is a secure video conferencing platform that can be used on almost all modern smartphones and computers from all major manufacturers.
When you’re on the phone with our staff setting up your telemedicine appointment, we’ll talk to you and figure out which platform makes the most sense for your situation.
Either way, the process is very, very easy—either you’ll have to click a link on your device to enter our “virtual waiting room” at the time of appointment, or just wait for a call from us!
Is It Right for Me?
As we said, not all types of foot and ankle problems can be solved through virtual means. Many times, you may still need to come in for an X-ray, or for us to administer a specific treatment.
However, you never know until you ask!
Again, we are doing everything we can to make sure you get the care you need as safely as possible. So if you have a current foot or ankle issue, reach out to us and explain what you’re going through. If we think telemedicine would be a good option for your situation, we’ll talk about it together and help you make a wise decision regarding your care.
If you do need to come in, please rest assured that we are carefully monitoring the evolving situation and taking all the necessary steps to keep our office clean, safe, and sterile. That includes disinfecting all areas regularly, limiting the number of patients we see at a time, wearing protective masks and gloves at all times, and more.
Is It Covered by Insurance?
Telemedicine services have been increasingly covered by insurance companies, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. From our perspective, we will bill your insurance provider for the appointment as we normally would, and do not charge any additional fees.
That said, the extent of coverage may vary according to your specific provider and plan. If you’re unsure, your best bet is to call your provider and ask.
Request Your Appointment Today!
If you’re ready to request your telemedicine appointment with one of our doctors, please complete the form on this page.
A member of our office will follow up with you during our regular office hours to determine whether you’d be best served by telemedicine or a standard in-office appointment, and then help you schedule a time that works for you!
If you’d prefer, you can also reach out to us directly by phone at (816) 455-1155.
We look forward to serving you—wherever you happen to be!