In early 2019, Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital began developing its telemedicine offerings as part of a soon-to-be-announced Schoolhouse Health initiative. The goal was to connect students throughout Pulaski County with health care providers at Lake Cumberland for services including well-child checks, sick visits, screenings and more. However, with the onset of COVID-19, Lake Cumberland’s telemedicine services quickly evolved into much more than that; enabling all primary care providers at Lake Cumberland Medical Associates and the LCMA Walk-In Clinic to provide care to patients from their own home, without entering medical facilities, and thus minimizing their risk of contracting the virus.
Lake Cumberland’s telemedicine services have been instrumental in screening sick patients, particularly those with symptoms of COVID-19, but have also been helpful in providing routine care for patients with chronic diseases. Shannon King, HR Director at Team Modern has been utilized LCMA Telemedicine Services personally as well as encouraged her employees to utilize them since the pandemic began.
“I have been very pleased with these telemedicine services,” said King. “I have personally used them for visits that normally would have required an in-person visit and have assisted many of our team members in getting scheduled for screenings and appointments, as well. As an HR manager, I routinely send out communication to our team reminding them of this service.”
As cases of COVID-19 in the community continue to rise and businesses become more impacted with shut-downs, limited staff, quarantines, and sick employees, telemedicine has offered a gateway for to help ensure that businesses stay open. “Our telemedicine offerings are great for any business to utilize, especially right now,” said Rob Edwards, Nursing Supervisor at Lake Cumberland Medical Associates. “We are able to provide remote sick visits and screenings for employees who may be experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19, as well as provide well-visits for those who may just need to check in with their primary care provider. Ultimately, this allows employees to receive more timely and convenient health care, keeping them on the job longer.”
“It was extremely easy and I felt I received excellent service after my appointment,” said King. “I actually preferred it over going for an in-person visit, as it did not require me to leave work in order to see my doctor.”
Modern healthcare has changed significantly over the last year and feedback on telemedicine services at LCMA has been overwhelmingly positive, with many patients sharing that they plan to continue using this technology long after the threat of COVID-19 has passed. “If someone were to ask me about using telemedicine services, I would tell them to do it! It will change how you feel about a doctor’s visit,” said King. “No more sitting in the waiting room with other sick people and you can call from the comfort of your bed or from your desk on a busy work day. I highly recommend that during this crazy time, you should do something to make life a little easier and use telemedicine!”