For the safety and convenience of our patients, the University of Florida Department of Anesthesiology’s Pain Medicine Division has successfully embarked on offering telehealth appointments.
The appointments offered via a secure video chat or phone call allow patients to receive medical treatment from pain faculty physicians while adhering to federal guidelines on maintaining 6 feet of social distance and minimizing exposure risk to COVID-19.
Telehealth also helps patients continue to receive medical treatments during Florida’s stay-at-home mandate. Patients who do not live locally can continue to receive treatment without the stress of traveling.
Telehealth appointments allow patients to receive the benefits of face-to-face contact with their health care provider using a computer, tablet, or phone from any convenient location. Physicians can answer patient concerns and questions, perform a guided and focused examination, and even measure certain vital signs. Physicians can also provide patients with alternatives for managing their conditions in the event their procedure was canceled due to COVID-19.
“You can actually do a lot with a telemedicine visit,” said Rene Przkora, MD, PhD, Professor of Anesthesiology, Chief of the Pain Medicine Division, and Program Director of the Multidisciplinary Pain Medicine Fellowship.
Dr. Przkora credited UF Health staff as well as patients for a successful rollout and for rising to the challenge of embracing a new technology. “The feedback we’ve received so far has been very positive,” he said.
Pain medicine faculty are currently recommending telehealth in particular for high-risk or elderly patients but have made it available to all patients in an effort to improve patient care and access.
Patients interested in scheduling a telehealth appointment should talk with their doctor. After both parties agree, a staff member will reach out with information and an appointment can be scheduled.
To learn more, call 352-265-7777 or visit https://ufhealth.org/uf-health-telehealth/overview.