Abstract
Introduction:Telemedicine has enabled access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article describes the creation and implementation of a telemedicine clinic in a student-run free clinic (SRFC) serving uninsured patients in Tampa, FL.Methods:A new workflow was developed for a telemedicine clinic, including a screening algorithm to determine appropriateness for telemedicine appointments. Volunteer students and providers conducted patient remote visits that allowed students to have service-learning experiences. Analysis of patient visits between March 31, 2020, and July 23, 2020, was conducted. Study protocol was reviewed by the Institutional Review Board and an exemption was obtained.Results:Eighty-four visits were conducted for 58 unique patients. Seventy-two percent were female and 88% were of Hispanic or Latino origin. Forty-four students and 33 physicians volunteered. The majority of visits were general follow-ups (83%) followed by psychiatry (11%) and cardiology (6%).Conclusion:Telemedicine is a viable method of providing care for an at-risk uninsured population at an SRFC. It can also enhance service learning for medical student volunteers.
Highlights
Telemedicine has enabled access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic
There were significantly less patient visits for telehealth compared with the inperson clinic, v2(4, n = 244) = 43.2, p < 0.01
For some specialties such as psychiatry, the number of visits increased for telehealth as compared with the in-person clinic during the same period the year prior
Summary
Telemedicine has enabled access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article describes the creation and implementation of a telemedicine clinic in a student-run free clinic (SRFC) serving uninsured patients in Tampa, FL. Volunteer students and providers conducted patient remote visits that allowed students to have service-learning experiences. Conclusion: Telemedicine is a viable method of providing care for an at-risk uninsured population at an SRFC. It can enhance service learning for medical student volunteers. It has been shown to be a cost-effective and efficient means of delivering health care without compromising quality or patient satisfaction.[2,3,4,5] Remote care has been highlighted as a potential solution to decrease disparities among communities with limited access to care, including geriatric and rural populations.[6,7,8,9,10] Before the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine, which includes both synchronous and asynchronous interactions, remote monitoring, wearable devices, and mobile applications, had been growing in popularity among patients and providers.[2,11] the adoption of technologyenhanced care was slow, driven predominantly by technological innovations, health care worker shortages, and increasing patient demand for readily accessible health care services.[4,11,12] Some specialties, such as psychiatry, cardiology, and radiology, were early adopters of this emerging care modality, a shift facilitated by Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement.[2,6,13] In primary care, telemedicine has been implemented as a tool to meeting the needs of a growing population in the face of limited resources.[2,4,5,6,7]
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