Abstract
The current COVID-19 pandemic sheds light on the importance of telemedicine in the care of patients experiencing headaches. Generally, headache patients suffer from lack of access to healthcare and physicians specializing in headache medicine. Now more than ever, telemedicine is needed during the COVID-19 pandemic to limit unnecessary virus exposure while still providing high-level quality care. Currently there is no published research regarding the risk of COVID-19 infections in headache patients. Nevertheless, headache patients must follow best practices like the rest of the population to limit their personal risk of infection and to mitigate virus community spread. During this unprecedented public health crisis, our priority as headache specialists and health care professionals is to support social distancing while ensuring proper access to healthcare. Telemedicine will play a key role in expanding such access to physicians specializing in headache medicine. Furthermore, the expansion of telemedicine initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic will most likely continue once the pandemic ends secondary to documented high levels of acceptability, patient satisfaction, improvements in patient access, and cost of care reductions. The purpose of this manuscript is to define the current utilization of telemedicine for headache patients and to provide strategies for incorporation into headache care plans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Highlights
Headache care management in the United States and globally has always been challenged by the low number of headache specialists compared to the number of headaches suffers seeking care
Headache patients suffer from lack of access to healthcare and physicians specializing in headache medicine
During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that physicians continue to provide medical services in a safe and effective way to patients suffering from headaches
Summary
Headache care management in the United States and globally has always been challenged by the low number of headache specialists compared to the number of headaches suffers seeking care. The Officer of the Inspector General (OIG) on March 17, 2020 notified physicians and practitioners that they will not be subject to administrative sanctions for reducing or waiving any cost-sharing obligations (coinsurance and deductibles) that Medicare beneficiaries may owe for telehealth services provided during the COVID19 declaration.[20] Another challenge that existed with the use of telehealth was the requirement to use a HIPAA compliant communication platform, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will waive potential penalties for healthcare providers’ HIPPA violations that involve providing telehealth medical services to patients through everyday communication technologies during the COVID-19 nationwide public health emergency.[21, 22]. An informed discussion with the patient discussing other preventative therapies including calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) modulating drugs should occur
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
