MOSES LAKE — In the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, visiting the doctor isn’t as easy as it used to be.

Restrictions have been placed on patient visits to reduce the risk of exposure to the virus, but people still need to see their doctor. One way medical facilities are working around that is by increasing the use of telemedicine.

Jazab Sheikh, chief medical director for Samaritan Healthcare’s Pioneer and Patton clinics, said it’s a useful alternative for some patients. Sheikh, an adult care and internal medicine specialist, is a telemedicine veteran, having used it in a previous practice.

Telemedicine has been used as a way to consult with specialists, but as an option for primary care it’s a new idea in Central Washington, Sheikh said. But once patients know how it works, he said, he can see patients requesting the service in some cases.

Allen Noble, a physician assistant and medical director at Moses Lake Community Health, said his patients seem to appreciate it.

“It’s been great. I really hope it’s something that can (continue) as we go forward,” Noble said.

Telemedicine can be by teleconference or by telephone. Sheikh said teleconference is the preferred method, since it allows for “face-to-face” communication.

Noble said, “I’m really enjoying it, It’s been nice talking to people in their homes. In some ways that’s where medicine started.”

In some ways telemedicine can be more convenient. Occasionally, patients will forget a medication when they visit the clinic, Noble said, but all medications are easily accessible during a telemedicine visit.

Some patients need continuing care — people who have chronic conditions and who need periodic prescription refills — including during a pandemic. Telemedicine is a good option in those cases, Sheikh said.

The doctors and other medical providers at the Samaritan clinics have defined what makes a high-risk patient in the age of coronavirus, and telemedicine allows periodic checks on them. Regular patients who might be suffering from a new problem can keep in contact with a medical provider.

When access to the clinic is restricted, telemedicine allows doctors to keep providing preventative care, Sheikh said. “Which is so important, whether it’s pediatrics or adult care.”

It’s also a way for behavioral health patients to keep up with regularly scheduled appointments, Sheikh said.

Noble cited the case of a patient who needed mental health services but didn’t want to come into the clinic.

Specialists are using telemedicine too. At Samaritan, “they’re all doing Zoom visits,” Sheikh said.

“We’re able to provide quite a range of services,” Noble said.

Some checks, of course, aren’t possible over the computer or the phone, such as blood pressure, temperature and respiratory health. Some patients have the ability to do some of those tasks themselves, Sheikh said, citing the example of a patient who can take his or her own blood pressure. Other patients can’t.

“You get around that by asking them questions,” Sheikh said.

There are also more creative options. Sheikh cited the case of a patient who got a blood pressure check while grocery shopping.

Sheikh said more than 30 of Samaritan’s medical providers have permission to use telemedicine and have access to the equipment necessary to teleconference. Samaritan employees are working with patients to improve teleconferencing skills.

Telemedicine does not replace an in-person visit.

“Ultimately the best medicine is in-person medicine,” Sheikh said. But telemedicine is an option at a time when in-person visits are discouraged. “I think it’s nice to know you have a backup option.”

Noble said in his opinion telemedicine will become more common, but how much it grows will depend on compensation, whether or not insurance companies will pay for telemedicine visits, and regulation.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.