Telemedicine is having a moment right now.

Flattening the curve has forced patients with chronic illness to access healthcare from home — both for their protection and to free up resources at medical facilities. As a lifelong cystic fibrosis patient and diabetes patient since 2014, this has meant for me putting off appointments, switching all medication to mail-order, and using telemedicine portals to reach out to my doctor.

Despite these changes, little has truly changed in the management of my disease. My doctor appointments pre-COVID-19 had become best practices more than a vital part of my care because I communicate with my doctors via email and even text when I need their advice, and often gets a response within hours. The lung function and vital signs tests they run at their office I can do at home, allowing me to monitor trends better than quarterly appointments ever could. A good portion of my meds were already delivered via mail-order pharmacies. Delivery by my local pharmacy was an option that they advertised for many months before COVID-19 struck.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE