What is a Virtual Doctor Visit?A virtual doctor visit has become part of the norm with the recent outbreak of COVID-19. Due to the interests of public health and safety, in person evaluations are reserved for the evaluation and treatment of emergent conditions including COVID-19.
With most of us spending our time at home away from work and school, individuals are eager to take advantage of some of the extra time and schedule non-urgent visits with their doctors. Virtual consultations provide that avenue and allow for full interaction with your doctor from the comfort of your home. The consultations can be performed with any desktop computer, laptop or smartphone with capability for audio/visual communication. Today, we are seeing that the vein doctor near me has embraced this new technology and we are hopeful that some of this change is here to stay for good. Virtual consults allow anyone to vet the doctor of their choice before making an in-person visit. You can be as picky as you want before settling on the best vein doctor for you. Benefits of a Virtual Doctor Visit
Does the evaluation have to be using tele-medicine? Some Vein centers have take additional steps to accommodate patients without tele-medicine access to still interact with the doctor using web-based forms. Although it does not allow real-time interaction, interested individuals can submit their concerns and questions to the vein doctor. These questions are answered promptly and allow for patients to schedule an in-person or tele consultation at their convenience. Are Virtual Consults covered by Insurance? Online consultations are treated in the same was as in-person evaluations. The coverage is equivalent and in some cases, cost sharing can be waived (depending on your plan). How are Virtual Consults Performed? The virtual consultation will feel similar to any other visit. You will be called by the front desk before your scheduled time to verify demographics and provide any assistance you may require to log-in. In the exam room portal, you will meet with the vein doctor to discuss your symptoms, medical history , and other important details relevant to your care. Next, a physical examination will focus on visual identification of any spider veins, varicose veins, ulcerations, swelling, skin discoloration, phlebitis, and corona phlebatica. Your vein doctor may also ask you to perform some self-maneuvers to assist with the evaluation. Based on this information, the vein doctor will determine the need for any additional testing or treatment recommendations. These will be scheduled once again with the office staff and will be an in-person evaluation. At that time, you will again have an opportunity to meet the doctor. article source: https://southjerseyveincenter.home.blog/2020/03/28/virtual-vein-doctor/
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When it comes to treating veins, there is a great deal of variability in quality from one clinic to the next. Capabilities can be different, diagnostic testing may not be available and treating physicians may not have all the experience needed to treat vein conditions.
A vein clinic should provide access to high quality trained specialists along with testing capabilities for accurate identification of underlying vein disease. Most patients with spider and varicose vein disease present as either cosmetic issues or venous insufficiency. A small percentage of patients have more serious disorders including DVT, venous webbing, venous malformations, and/or May-Thurner syndrome. For this reason, symptomatic vein disease needs the proper attention of a vein specialist no matter how small the problem may appear. Here we provide some insights into discerning qualities for a center for vein restoration: · Vascular Doctors: board-certified vascular physicians who have completed formal training during a residency or fellowship with endovascular procedures is a must. Board certification alone is not enough indication of training; instead individuals should lean towards vein doctors with a background in vascular surgery, invasive cardiology or interventional radiology. · Patient testimonials: It sometimes can be unfair to judge an entire clinic based on one review. The same goes for restaurants and other retail centers. However the overall sentiment should be positive and have an authentic feeling. This will give potential patients an idea of the experience of others. · Modern Facilities: The office should be clean and up to date providing a clear sign that management is invested into their practice. New equipment is costly, but indicates that your clinic puts patient experience above some extra costs. Items like sclerotherapy or laser vein treatment near me have different costs based on equipment, physician experience, and geographic location. · Visit Time: High quality centers for vein restoration will provide ample time for each visit. In this way, the appointment allows adequate time for making proper diagnosis and treatment considerations. It also allows for the time to ask your questions without feeling rushed. A typical vein consultation should take 45 minutes to 1 hour for a complete assessment. · Referrals: Be on guard for referrals from your doctor whether its your PCP, chiropractor or pain doctor. If you have no symptoms, then there is no need for a vein consultation. In some instances, there can be quid pro quo between clinics to increase their referral numbers that do not benefit the patient. If you are deciding to see a vein doctor, then like most patients you are likely aware of the problem and will do your own research before deciding on where to go. This list is not comprehensive, but provides a nice baseline for the interested individual. Vein treatment is not major surgery, but that does not mean you shouldn’t be seeing a trained specialist. Most individuals are familiar with the terms spider veins or varicose veins. However, there is considerably less familiarity with reticular veins. These are small veins that bridge the gap between spider veins and varicose veins and also result commonly from chronic venous insufficiency. Reticular veins are slightly larger than spider veins at about 1-3 mm in diameter and are blue or green veins sometimes surrounded by a cluster of spider veins. As such, your vein doctor may refer to them as feeder veins (or what causes spider veins) and will suggest treatment of these veins along with spider veins for more permanent results.
Without treating reticular veins which is a common mistake and cannot be simply treated with laser therapy or sometimes even liquid sclerotherapy. RETICULAR VEIN SYMPTOMS Reticular veins are again similar to spider and varicose veins in symptoms. They can cause pain, itching, redness or burning. In the presence of chronic venous insufficiency, more deeper symptoms may be felt and reticular veins serve as a reminder to investigate further. A vein doctor would need to perform a thorough medical and physical examination to determine signs and symptoms of venous insufficiency. Additional testing may include doppler ultrasound (DUS) to evaluate vein and valve function underneath the skin. RETICULAR VEIN TREATMENT Fortunately, reticular veins can be treated just as well as spider veins or varicose veins. In many instances, this involves cosmetic treatments that will suffice. However, in the presence of symptoms, venous insufficiency will likely need to be treated first before addressing smaller veins such as reticular or spider veins to eliminate symptoms. The primary form of reticular vein treatment is sclerotherapy. However, some veins are not likely to resolve with laser therapy (due to poor penetration) or liquid sclerotherapy (dilutional effect). This is where the role of a qualified, board-certified vein doctor is most important. Not only do they need to consider the best treatment for the surface (laser therapy, liquid sclerotherapy or foam-sclerotherapy with possible ultrasound guidance), the exclusion of underlying vein disease must also be considered. Reticular vein treatment with sclerotherapy generally is performed in the office during a 15 minute to 1 hour long session (depending on the nature and extent of veins). Using ultrasound guided foam sclerotherapy will also be more time consuming to be exact with the placement and delivery of effective medication. Most patients will need 1-3 sessions for a successful course of vein treatment. The cost of sclerotherapy for spider veins will depend on medication utilized, qualifications of the vein clinic and vein doctor, extent and nature of vein disease. |
AuthorLena Siddiqi Archives
January 2022
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