In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Logan University is ensuring its Health Centers are able to deliver chiropractic care to patients while adhering to state mandates and guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This week, Logan launched Doxy, a HIPAA-compliant telehealth tool that allows chiropractic clinicians to meet with patients via video conferencing. Using a mobile device or a desktop computer, patients can ask questions to a clinician without having to leave their home.
Telehealth was already on the rise in recent years, however COVID-19 has accelerated the industry and its ability to provide safe care to patients around the world.
Vincent DeBono, DC, CSCS, vice provost of innovation and new ventures at Logan, said telehealth does two things: It allows Logan’s chiropractic clinicians to continue to provide essential care and check the progress of a patient, and it gives patients greater access to chiropractic without risking their health and safety.
So, how does telehealth work for chiropractic?
“During a video conference, a clinician will ask you a series of questions to get a better idea of the nature of your symptoms, and they may ask you to point to where on your neck or back you feel pain,” Dr. DeBono explains. “The clinician may also ask you to move a body part or apply light pressure to assess if these movements exacerbate or relieve the symptoms. This information will help the clinician determine if the patient should first attempt home therapy – such as applying ice or heat, performing directional movements to reduce pain, or beginning a series of therapeutic exercises – or if the patient should arrange for a physical office visit since the symptoms require further investigation or a hands-on treatment. While in general, chiropractic is more hands-on than other health care disciplines, in these times of social distancing the risk versus benefit of a physical office visit should be weighed against the many ways our clinicians can provide quality care and guidance via telehealth to offer temporary relief.”
Currently, Logan clinicians can use Doxy with any patient in Missouri. Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., patients can log onto Logan’s Health Center homepage and immediately ask questions to an on-duty clinician (wait times may vary based on patient call volume). During the video conference, a clinician can upload documents and send videos to a patient, or invite another clinician into the video conference for consultation.
While the tool addresses a timely concern of the pandemic, it also provides an opportunity to those who may be new to chiropractic, says Dr. DeBono. “It gives patients the chance to speak to and see a chiropractor before even coming in for an appointment. Providing someone the ability to ask questions and get to know their chiropractic physician at the start is so valuable in the doctor-patient relationship as we establish a foundation of trust.”
To learn more, visit www.logan.edu/health-centers/.