What to make of Telehealth?

What is it?

Who should receive it, and who provides it?

Here at WPT, we’ve been doing telehealth for over two months now, but we certainly do not know all of the answers to every telehealth question. COVID-19 has dramatically shifted healthcare in MANY ways. Telehealth has been one of the biggest changes we’ve seen, outside of the front line hospitals and staff that are directly treating people with Coronavirus. Medicare has gone from not recognizing telehealth as a paid-for service by many healthcare providers, to approving it conditionally and with several strings attached, to loosening up the restrictions even greater. So naturally, it’s been a constant process of learning, evolving, and re-learning. So, what does all of this mean to you?

Here are some big takeaways that will affect a lot of people in how they access medical providers and seek solutions to their healthcare problems.

1. 
   

   This is likely here to stay.

   
   

Covid-19 forced the hand on healthcare to adopt more digital communication with their patients, but it was certainly coming prior to this. So much of the industry has moved and is moving toward digital technologies, and healthcare is no different. Whether you’re a tech-savvy millennial, or someone who’s absolutely intimidated by technology, this is going to be the way a lot of our world moves forward.

1. 
   

   Telehealth will improve access.

   
   

Considering the locale of your doctor or physical therapist will become less important with time. The internet and digital communication have made access to people much easier. Many people will eventually choose healthcare providers that are more regional than local. For example, if you expect that half of your doctor’s visits will be done digitally, you may be more inclined to seek out the specialist that is 2 or 3 hours away than the less renowned and less capable local physician.

1. 
   

   Telehealth will cause a craving for authentic, in-person interactions.

   
   

There is likely to be a large dichotomy that arises from this pandemic. On one hand, we will want more communication to be done via Skype or Zoom, and yet, there will be longing for in-person interaction that we simply can not yet achieve with a computer or smartphone. We believe this will result in people expecting a more personalized, REAL experience when they are receiving their healthcare in person. There certainly are some things that just can not replace a physical shoulder to cry on, or an ACTUAL hand to help you up when you’ve fallen down.

We hope this email finds you healthy and well. We also help the content is relevant and helpful. Please let us know if you have any questions or needs, and we’ll be happy to help out!

What an incredibly simple idea.  Get 1% better.  But why is it so hard?   Most of us try, fail, and get discouraged.  We feel hopeless.  Like we won’t be able to make the changes necessary to feel and move better. 

But, the only necessary thing is to focus on improving your health just by 1%.  This could literally mean eating 3 Oreo’s before bedtime, as opposed to your typical 5.  And that is a VICTORY!  I’m serious here.  If you can make small, consistent, incremental changes, you will IMPROVE.  That’s what it should be all about.  Don’t focus on where you aren’t, just focus on getting 1% better.  

Here is the 3 step process:

1.  DO NOT TRY TO RE-INVENT THE WHEEL.  MODEL SUCCESS.

THere’s likely someone that has already “succeeded” in the area you’re looking to improve.  Follow that person/people, and learn from them.  They likely did the same exact thing when they were on their path to improvement (Here’s a secret though, they haven’t arrived either – The successful people you see – they’re still focusing on trying to get 1% better too.)  Read, listen to, and study from those who have obtained success in the domain you’re wanting to improve.  Don’t get nutritional advice from the dietician that says “me too!” when you say to them, I’d like help in losing 20# and decreasing my sugar intake to manage my Diabetes.  

1. ACTION PLAN!

Knowing what to do is almost never the hardest thing about making a change and improving in an area.  It’s most often a problem of poor implementation.  Professionally, I know this has been a struggle of mine.  If I put HALF of the knowledge I’ve gained through going to continuing education courses, I would be one of the PT greats.  Yet, I’ve often done some average job at implementation, which eventually results in me going back to my old ways of doing things.  Not to say that I’m a poor PT, but I know it would be better if I was better at implementing the knowledge I’ve consumed.  

1. “PLUSSING”

Plussing is what Walt Disney referred to as continuous improvement.  Disney loved the idea of Disney World so much, in part because he said: “it would never be complete”.  When Disney made a movie, once that movie went to the box office, it was totally finished.  But his amusement park, Disney World, would always be on a journey of getting better, 1% at a time.  He loved that each year the trees would grow and become more beautiful!   And to this day his legacy continues, as Disney World is always focusing on making things more appealing, and more compelling.  

In essence, this is how we need to view our lives.  Do not focus on what others are capable of, or are accomplishing.  Only see how you can get a little better, each and every day.  Some days you may slip, but if you are always pursuing 1% better, your life and your health will look dramatically different over time.  

So it’s that simple.  It’s not easy, but it’s simple.  Start TODAY!  Think about the above 3 steps, and don’t hesitate. You won’t be perfect, but you’ll be on the way to a better you.