What is Telemed and How Does it Work?

Here at the Law Offices of Marc Francis, your best choice for a work injury lawyer in Santa Rosa, many of our clients has experienced delays with in-person doctor examinations because of the coronavirus. One method of keeping our clients’ cases moving forward during these difficult times, so that medical treatment and disability benefits are timely received, is telemed.

Telemed, also known as telemedicine or e-medicine, refers to doctor examinations and consultations using electronic devices such as laptop computers or smartphones instead of going to the doctor’s office in person.

Typically, arrangements for a telemed appointment with a doctor are relatively easy to arrange, but that may not be the best way to go in all circumstances. For example, if a physical examination is required for medical treatment for your work injury. Or a Qualified Medical Examination it may be necessary for a physician’s assistant or other properly-trained health care professional to be in the room with the injured worker during the exam in order to conduct physical tests or provide other assistance so that the doctor can get all the information required for proper diagnosis and medical recommendations. That might not be appropriate if there are coronavirus concerns. In other circumstances, such as complex injuries requiring surgery or other invasive treatment, the kind of information needed by the doctor may require an in-person examination. On the other hand, a doctor can sometimes discuss with a patient by telemed how a prescribed medicine is working and determine whether they should continue using that medicine or other medicine recommended. Additionally, a doctor who has previously performed an in-person exam may feel that a follow-up exam can be done by telemed.

Whether a telemed examination is right for you depends on the individual facts and circumstances of your work injury case. For advice on telemed in your worker’s compensation case, call the Law Offices of Marc Francis, one of the premier work injury lawyers in Sonoma County, at (707) 664-9675.