"Telemedicine & Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic and Directions for the Future."

Saad, Noah H; AlQattan, Husain T; Ochoa, Oscar; Chrysopoulo, Minas

Telemedicine holds vast amounts of potential in changing the way outpatient Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is practiced. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic Video Conferencing (VC) was utilized by a small fraction of medical specialties. However, since the start of the pandemic, CMS and the largest private health insurance companies have relaxed regulations to allow the majority of specialties to use VC in lieu of in-person visits. Most importantly, VC minimizes patient and physician exposure in situations such as these, and decreases risk in the immunocompromised population. VC, which has been shown to be just as safe and efficacious in treating patients, offers the ability to follow up with physicians while saving time on travel, as well as travel-related expenses. This, in turn correlates with increased patient satisfaction. VC also allows physicians to expand their reach to patients in rural areas seeking advanced professional advice. Incorporating VC into existing practices will make for a more efficient practice, improve patient satisfaction, and decrease cost to patients and the health care system.