Telehealth Part 1: The Provider’s Perspective Technically Sick

Monica speaks with Dr. Dustin Cotliar, a telemedicine-focused Physician and Health Policy Consultant. 
In this episode, Dr. Cotliar shares the benefits of telehealth from a doctor’s perspective and the many ways how this varied technology can be useful for patients. Monica and Dr. Cotliar will also discuss the financial benefits of telemedicine and the future innovations being developed in digital health. 
“Let's say I was your doctor, and I say, “You know what? We really need to get you some blood work. We're gonna have a nurse come to your house”. And then, “Oh, I'm going to have your prescriptions delivered and I'm going to make an appointment for you for a cat scan on this day”... You can really have much more time to do things for yourself, and do things that you care about, as opposed to traverse the healthcare system in a way that doesn't work for you.” - Dr. Dustin Cotliar 

Timestamps 2:04 Dr. Cotliar shares about the importance of telehealth from his perspective 5:01 Different applications for telehealth 6:08 Some benefits of telehealth for comfortability 7:10 COVID-19's impact on telehealth 8:17 The effects of COVID-19 on appointment availability 9:27 Roadblocks to increasing the use of telehealth 10:32 Options for improving the impacts of computer literacy on telehealth use 12:34 Ways to improve privacy with telehealth 13:25 How telehealth helps create privacy for patients 14:52 How telehealth can benefit care navigation 16:35 How to reduce healthcare costs with telehealth 17:39 Additional applications for telehealth for in-home treatment 19:26 How obtaining visual cues from patients during video visits can benefit their health 20:16 Building rapport with patients in telehealth 22:53 More on the comfort of having appointments at home 25:08 Creating more jobs and job longevity with telehealth 26:16 Using telehealth as a training tool 27:21 The possibility of telehealth creating more time for doctors to write progress notes and see more patients. 28:42 The future of telehealth 32:27 Dr. Cotliar’s ideal tech 34:11 The impact of COVID-19 on patients avoiding doctors offices 
Takeaway Learnings 1. Telehealth allows doctors to determine faster if a patient requires in-person emergency care or not.
2. Telehealth helps people with chronic illnesses and disabilities seek out consistent care without having to physically go to the doctor’s office.  
3. Telehealth can be used for more than just a doctor’s visit. The potential applications are limitless in considering remote care options.  

Actionable Tips 1. If you are a patient, consider giving a telehealth option a try the next time you seek out care.  
2. Think about utilizing wearables you may already own, such as a smart watch, in order to track data about your own health.  
3. If you are a physician, consider implementing telemedicine services or recommending these services to patients if their care feels like it could benefit from that. 

About Dr. Dustin CotliarDustin Cotliar is a future-centric Physician and Health Policy Consultant who is passionate about digital health, patient advocacy, and healthcare navigation. His research has been featured in articles by NPR, Politico and Vox, and CNBC. He enjoys helping private clients with complex medical needs leverage technology to find top doctors, get a second opinion, navigate insurance plans, fight medical bills, organize medical records, and communicate better with their medical team. He can be reached on Twitter and LinkedIn and would love to connect with those looking for assistance.   

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