A month into the Great Quarantine of 2020, COVID-19 has taught us (i.e. forced us) how to adapt in a remote age. One industry that’s been forced to “modernize” is the health space. Telemedicine has become increasingly relevant since the onset of our quarantine. However, telemedicine isn’t a new concept. It has long been considered an effective way for people to access their medical professionals from the comfort and safety of their own homes. What’s different about it now is that the quarantine has necessitated that more and more people and medical practices turn to telemedicine as a primary solution for their issues. Using a digital device, healthcare officials can diagnose, treat, prescribe and educate a patient that’s miles away (an adequate social distance) and not risk unnecessary exposure or inconvenience for people on both ends of the equation. So with this in mind, we’d love to highlight 2 of our clients. One who had to enter this space almost overnight: Tri-County Medical Center. And one who has been occupying it pre-Corona: Telespine.
We first got to know Tri-County Medical Center years ago after they sought out our branding agency services. You know the like: custom print design, company logo design, interactive website design, and other marketing collateral. Tri-County Medical Center provides an array of basic health services–they’re your go-to doctors for when you need an internist all the way to a vasectomy. But, for seemingly obvious reasons related to the spread of a certain infectious and insidious virus, they had to successfully adapt to the new “norm” and brought their practice online via telemedicine. Janice, founder of Oblique Design, recently needed an appointment to treat a sinus infection. It was easily diagnosed via video conference and she dodged exposing herself to COVID-19 in a doctor’s office. The triage process was seamless, safe and convenient and brought to light an issue that existed pre-social distancing: The inconveniences in the process of triaging. Sometimes, there are cases when diagnosis and treatment presented a few hurdles. You’d have to go to a GP just to get recommended to go to a specialist to then go back to your first doctor to then go to a pharmacy to get proper treatment. All of this is a daunting and dangerous journey now. Other times, some cases didn’t require the time suck of a face-to-face meeting. Thus, entering into the telemedicine space has inadvertently brought efficiency and safety to Tri-County Medical Center’s practice.
Now, on the other hand Telespine, a longtime client of ours for the same creative design services, has been into telehealth for quite some time now. Founder Dr. Mark Barnes saw a flaw in the Physical Therapy model that set clients up for therapist dependency. Going in to see your PT three times a week only to leave with a sheet of paper left patients mostly to their own devices. Lots of times that resulted in going to get prescribed pain killers to solve neck and back pain. (Fun fact: 80% of opioid prescriptions are for back pain relief). Telespine connects those in need of neck/back pain solutions to physical therapists and doctors online in order to give personalized and more involved therapy plans that include web resources, customized programming and certified coach access. Telespine has been increasingly growing since its inception and has been able to maintain its clients throughout this quarantine period with a model already appropriate for the times.
COVID-19 has taught us so many lessons already. Remote work is now omnipresent. Healthcare providers are short on time and safety. The list could go on and on- we haven’t even scratched the surface. But for the purposes of this post, a main and important lesson is that medical care can extend beyond the doctor’s office walls. It is a healthy (no pun intended) option to consider.
You can learn more about our clients and the remote services they provide on their websites: