The Health series is presented by AdventHealth
When life speeds up, and it seems like there’s always another soccer or dance practice to take the kiddos to, and your day-to-day calendar is filled with meetings, it can be challenging to squeeze in unexpected visits with your doctor when minor, unplanned medical questions and illnesses pop up.
That’s why many healthcare providers offer virtual health visits where you can save time while still getting the care you need to stay healthy.
“Virtual care has drastically evolved over the last few years, mainly credited to the Covid-19 pandemic,” says Ashley Rehmsmeyer, APRN, FNP-BC, a nurse practitioner with AdventHealth Medical Group Virtual Care. “When patients were quarantined, isolated, and confined to their homes during the height of the pandemic, healthcare adapted. Our goal has stayed the same: to take care of patients well, first and foremost. What has changed is how we see patients, as we have grown into offering a virtual platform that allows us to take care of patients from anywhere.”
Thanks to the resources put into elevating virtual care, the ease of visiting with your healthcare provider via telehealth—from your home, office, sitting in your parked car, or any place between—has continued even as our lives return to normal.
What to Expect From a Virtual Visit
To access a virtual visit with AdventHealth, Rehmsmeyer says, you simply need a computer or mobile device with video and audio capabilities. Also, you must be physically located in Kansas or Missouri at the time of the visit.
Before your appointment, you’ll fill out all your registration details—identification, contact information, health insurance, etc.
If you have the tools available to record your temperature, blood pressure, pulse oximetry, and heart rate (such as an Apple Watch or home blood-pressure cuff), plan to take those measurements beforehand as well. Rehmsmeyer says you don’t have to have those measurements to complete a virtual visit, but any information you can share with your provider is always helpful.
“At AdventHealth, we use an integrated electronic medical record system called Epic,” she says. “This system allows us to see a patient virtually with audio and video, and then save their visit encounter into their patient chart. Any other healthcare provider at AdventHealth—and any other provider that uses Epic and is involved in their future care—may see this virtual visit encounter in their chart to reference at a future visit. If the patient has an online AdventHealth account, they are also able to review their own visit information in the patient portal to stay updated on their plan of care.”
Virtual vs. In-Person Appointments
While virtual care has expanded over the past few years, there are still times when you’ll need to plan an in-person visit with your healthcare provider.
“Our goal is not to replace a patient’s primary care physician, but to be an extension of their care, allowing patients to be seen virtually when their PCP’s office may not have an appointment time available,” Rehmsmeyer shares. “We want to work with their PCP as a helping hand, connected in taking care of patients together.”
Your annual wellness exam, for example, still needs to be done in the office. And for serious or life-threatening symptoms—such as shortness of breath, chest pain, severe headaches, or severe abdominal pain—please be seen at your nearest urgent care or ER.
Meanwhile, many follow-up appointments and visits for minor acute illnesses can be done virtually, even with conditions that require lab work.
“For example, if strep throat or a urinary tract infection is suspected, I can order appropriate testing,” Rehmsmeyer says. “In other cases, certain bloodwork and chest X-ray imaging can also be ordered if needed. We let our clinic know the patient is coming for these tests, and they can stop by the selected clinic that same day and then leave after the tests are performed.”
At AdventHealth, the virtual care practice offers appointments Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For further information on their virtual care services, please visit
adventhealthkc.com/virtualcare.