How House Calls and Telemedicine Can Help Flatten the Curve
Flattening the curve: how self-isolation has worked for previous pandemics and how house calls can accelerate the exponential change.
Why are phrases like “self-quarantine” and “social isolation” gracing news and social media outlets around the world? What is the point of avoiding as much physical contact with people as possible?
Above is a graphic showing two distinct “curves”. One rather steep and abrupt, the other, while much longer, is exponentially less steep. In the middle is the most important part of the graphic, the limitation line of our healthcare system.
Social isolation and self-quarantine are proven methods aimed at reducing the spread, and new infections in our population. As these methods go into effect, we start steering ourselves towards the flatter, longer curve, thus avoiding pushing over our hospital's limitations.
Has social isolation worked in the past? To see these policies in action we can go all the way back to the 1918–1919 influenza pandemic in the United States. A 2007 study by JAMA found that non-pharmaceutical interventions such as school closures, and public gathering bans showed a significant reduction in excess death rates (EDR) from influenza.
Towns implementing such measures proved to have lower peak mortality rates and lower total mortality than their counterparts that did not implement such measures. These actions also showed an association between increased non-pharmaceutical duration and a reduced total mortality burden in cities.
Social isolation and quarantine can even be seen working early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Vo Euganeo, a small town in Italy, tested every single resident after reporting the first death in Italy to COVID-19. The town followed by testing all ~3,000 of its residents and implementing a strict social isolation and quarantine policy for a total of 2 weeks. Before isolation, the town reported 3% of the population being infected and at the end of 2 weeks, it reported a mere 0.25%. Vo Euganeo singled out the last cases, and the town reopened with no new cases since March 13. In a nutshell, social isolation and distancing work, especially alongside adequate testing.
The Role Traditional Medical Providers Have Had
Doctors, researchers, nurses, and everything in between are the warriors that we send to the front lines fighting illnesses that are both seen and unseen. We rely on them to fix the body, mind, and soul and continue to expect them to go above and beyond. However, our healthcare system has major holes that even the greatest providers cannot fill that are exposed during the COVID-19 breakout.
High healthcare costs and high uninsured or underinsured rates are at the epicenter of the growing COVID-19 pandemic. The United States has one of the highest uninsured rates versus comparable developed countries. In 2017, over 25% of people under the age of 65 reported being either uninsured or underinsured. Being under or uninsured raises healthcare problems such as delaying or forgoing care because of cost. In 2018 nearly 30% of people, either uninsured or underinsured, reported delaying care because of cost. That is a lot of people.
In a pandemic situation, forgoing and delaying care causes some major problems. If people are avoiding testing because of cost, that means that there are possible cases out there that have yet to be diagnosed and recorded. By not being able to widely test we cannot lessen the burden on our healthcare system because we do not fully understand the scope, or have proper protective measures in place. Once people then come to receive care from our healthcare system, they likely need highly specialized care that could have been prevented with early detection. This has lead to hospital systems being overwhelmed and people being unable to even be seen by their primary care provider. Hello, Vitable Health.
Where Does Vitable Come In?
How can an on-demand, concierge healthcare company change the outcomes of a pandemic? Vitable Health sends Nurse Practitioners into member's houses or apartments to provide urgent care services at home, sticking with social distancing and isolation plans given by public health authorities. At-home services are even more important today, as doctor's offices, hospitals, and urgent care facilities are overwhelmed by severely sick patients. As healthcare systems are overwhelmed with the severely and COVID-19 patients, it leaves people who are unwell, unrelated to COVID-19 in the rearview mirror. Being able to see these unwell people in the comforts of their own home helps take some of the burdens off of hospital and urgent care systems.
Minimizing social interactions, even in doctor office waiting rooms, has been shown to be one of the most effective ways of preventing the spread of the virus. Symptomatic, and other sick individuals must get needed medical help. What better way than to get treatment than without having to leave your home. Vitable is even able to collect your specimen and send it to our lab partners and get you the results without you having to leave your home.
Vitable’s full-time Nurse Practitioner, Lisa Hobson, says people are trying to avoid leaving their homes and going to urgent care or doctor's offices. During this uptick in at-home, patient visits Hobson is also taking added safety precautions such as wearing a face mask during examinations.
Hobson said, “In the healthcare field, you are always concerned about safety and taking precautions. Now there is a heightened sense of concern that you carry with you.”
During this day in age, it is more essential than ever to receive your needed healthcare, without leaving the comfort, and safety of your own home. Vitable is ramping up membership acceptance and reducing visit costs to help everyone who needs to be seen. For every new member that joins, Vitable is also donating one free COVID-19 screening visit for the uninsured.
Schedule your visit today!
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