Telemedicine Visits Available for Non-Hospitalized Covid-Positive Patients

Providers at Albany Medical Center’s Post-Covid Care Clinic specialize in caring for patients experiencing lingering symptoms of Covid-19. But they also treat those still in the acute phase of their illness via a very 21st century method: Telemedicine visits.

“Telemedicine visits are a crucial treatment option for Covid-19 patients who visit the ED and are not sick enough to be hospitalized, but who still require ongoing medical care,” said Anupama Tiwari, MD, director of the Post-Covid Care Clinic and a pulmonologist in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.

Those Covid patients are often referred by the Emergency Department to the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine for expedited follow-up care, explained Dr. Tiwari.

Many are also sent home from the ED with a pulse oximeter, a small device that measures how much oxygen is in the blood. A decrease in blood oxygen level can be an early indicator that Covid-19 is progressing and that further medical care may be needed.

If patients continue to experience symptoms more than four weeks after their initial diagnosis, they’re encouraged to make an appointment at the Post-Covid Care Clinic. These symptoms may include, but are not limited to, shortness of breath, fatigue, headache, an irregular heart rate, brain fog, tremors or diarrhea.

“While we prefer to see patients who have lingering symptoms in person, a telemedicine visit can be arranged if travel to the Post-Covid Care Clinic is prohibitive,” said Dr. Tiwari.