CPM Spring 2020 - 15

daup h i n c m s .o rg

y the time this article appears in
print, the coronavirus pandemic will
likely be or have peaked in central
Pennsylvania. We will know how
the closures of "non-life sustaining" businesses
worked, how well the social isolation protected
us and how our hospitals coped with the influx
of sick patients. We will know how well our
politicians led and how our local healthcare
leaders navigated through this.

There is one thing we know now, however.
As the picture of Dauphin County Medical
Society Board Member Dr. Andrzej Walker
shows, Pennsylvania's physicians stepped up
when COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment
was necessary.
When the picture was taken on March 20,
there were emerging reports of symptomatic
individuals and the appearance of long
care lines of worried healthcare consumers.
There were also calls from doctors for better
availability of personal protective equipment
("PPE"), including gowns, face shields and
masks; the physicians were not only interested
in reducing their personal risk, but they were
very mindful of becoming unknowingly
infected and then putting their patients at risk.

Unable or unwilling to sit in a waiting room to our hospitals, however, privately-run
in the middle of this pandemic, patients physician-owned practices also stepped
expected - and doctors responded with - a up to care for their patients. We've already
new approach to care based on the technology heard about physicians "making do" with a
most of are already carrying with us. At the "something-better-than-nothing" approach to
time this article is being written, multiple PPE, adapting patient clinic flows (separate
insurers announced that practically any remote entrances for example), getting around the
Dr. Walker's frontline service was also doctor-patient visit using a cell phone would unavailability of universal testing (including
advice on how stay home and shelter if the
played out in countless sidewalks and park- be covered just like a face-to face visit.
diagnosis
seemed likely) and providing needed
ing lots outside physician offices. In course
Thanks to the pandemic, it is becoming
care
through
car windows. Data suggests
of obtaining tests, dispensing advice and increasing apparent that one-on-one video
that
more
than
a third of care in central
providing comfort, there was a shortage of or audio communication (available through
Pennsylvania
is
provided
in small, private
PPE, especially in physician offices outside a cell video chat or even a call using an old
community-based
practices
and it's likely
of hospitals. It made sense to prioritize PPE fashioned landline) with a physician is a highly
that
the
experience
in
the
coming
weeks will
for the hospitals, but that didn't mean that useful resource in the midst of a pandemic.
show
they
did
their
part
too.
physicians stopped being physicians. We What we're also learning, however, is that
are all aware of docs who made do with the other medical conditions can be monitored
Many patients have been telling us that this
best gowning and masks they could find and from afar, making it likely that the immediate reminds them of other recent mega events,
continued to provide access where and when future of healthcare will see an exponential such as the attack on the Twin Towers or the
it's been needed.
growth in telemedicine.
onset of the Great Recession. In addition to
Thank you, Dr. Walker.
A current read of the insurers' websites becoming embedded in our memories, they
and other events have led to "Big Changes"
What else will we know? A likely outcome suggests that coverage of cell phone or landline in how we plan our lives.
of the pandemic by the time this appears in care will be rolled back in the months ahead.
The arrival of this pandemic is likely to be
print will be the growth of "remote care." If that doesn't change, good luck putting that
genie
back
in
the
bottle.
a
similar.
We will have had Big Reminders
While communication between a doctor
about
the
dedication of the Dr. Walkers, the
and a patient must always be private and
Last but not least, all eyes have been on the
mainstreaming
of remote health care and the
legal, regulatory and insurers restrictions that large regionally dominant healthcare systems'
importance
of
physician
private practice in
had been in place to guarantee that privacy response to the pandemic, and they deserve
local
healthcare
delivery.
required the use of unwieldy and dedicated our gratitude. When they needed to, most put
technology that imposed significant hassles to patients before profits and cancelled elective
the consumer and big costs for the physician. surgeries to preserve resources. In addition
Central PA Medicine Spring 2020 15

http://www.dauphincms.org

CPM Spring 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CPM Spring 2020