Telemedicine provides at-home medical appointments

Patients of Cayuga Medical Associates and Cayuga Health Partners can use smart phones, tablets, and computers to have online telemedicine appointments with their health care providers. The telemedicine services use high-definition video and audio links, so patients and providers hear and see each other in real time. Providers can counsel patients, assess health conditions, and develop treatment plans. Primary care physicians, specialty care providers, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants at Cayuga Medical Associates and Cayuga Health Partners participate in the telemedicine service.

Who can use telemedicine?

Patients of the 200 providers of Cayuga Health Partners and Cayuga Medical Associates can use the telemedicine service. At-home medical appointments can help patients who are unable to travel to their health care provider’s office and also provide a convenient alternative to a medical office visit. During the current public health emergency when those with COVID-19 infections are quarantined, the telemedicine service allows patients to have a medical appointment without leaving their homes and exposing others to the virus.

How do you use the telemedicine services?

Call your provider’s office during regular business hours. Click this link for a list of Cayuga Health Partners practitioners, practices, and facilities, or use this link for Cayuga Medical Associates practitioners. Many practitioners at Cayuga Health Partners have patient portals that can also be used to schedule telemedicine appointments. Check with your provider on how to obtain a portal login.

Cayuga Medical Associates patients can also use CMA’s Patient Portal to make a telemedicine appointment. To sign up for the portal, call 607-882-2393 to obtain an activation code, or ask for one at your next appointment. When using the CMA portal, follow the prompts to reach the telemedicine page. Enter your information, and a telemedicine intake specialist will call you within one business day to coordinate your appointment.

What is needed for a telemedicine appointment?

You must have internet access, a smart phone, tablet, or computer with audio and video/webcam functions, and a browser such as Chrome, Safari, or Firefox.

What services can telemedicine provide?

Patients can use telemedicine for a wide variety of health services. Some common conditions a primary care doctor may treat via telemedicine: Allergies, arthritic pain, asthma, colds and flu, diarrhea, infections, conjunctivitis, skin inflammations, sore throats, and vomiting.

Telemedicine services can vary by a health provider’s specialty. A surgeon might use telemedicine to do post-operation check-ins with patients to make sure their wounds are healing properly. A gynecologist might use telemedicine to provide birth control counseling. An endocrinologist may do video chats with patients to discuss recent lab results and answer questions.

What does it cost to use the telemedicine services?

Fees are the same for routine telemedicine appointments and in-person office visits at Cayuga Health Partners and Cayuga Medical Associates. Medicare and most private insurers have waived co-pays and deductibles during the COVID-19 emergency and have expanded the range of health services that can be provided by a telemedicine provider. Those waivers are expected to expire when the COVID-19 emergency ends, so check with your health insurer on fee changes.

Public and private insurers payment schedules can vary depending the health plan and whether the patient has met the plan’s deductible. Check with your insurer to know what services will be covered and the amount of the fee the plan will pay.

When is telemedicine inappropriate?

Telemedicine is not a substitute for emergency or urgent care. Patients with urgent, acute conditions that are not life threatening such as sprains, simple fractures, and rashes may need in-office care from their physician or visit a Cayuga Health System urgent care office when their physician is unavailable. When a patient contacts the telemedicine services, an initial assessment of the health issue is made to determine if telemedicine is appropriate for the person’s health needs. Patients having a medical emergency such as chest pains, seizures, head or neck injuries should call 911.