Telemedicine

Telemedicine: What is it and why is it important to understand during this time?

Healthcare organizations are doing all they can to limit the number of patients coming in and out of their facilities, but many of these patients still need consultations and follow up care. In order to navigate around this, many organizations are moving toward a modern way of practicing…telemedicine. During the COVID-19 crisis, telemedicine is becoming a standard in healthcare. By utilizing advanced technology, patients are still able to receive adequate care during this difficult and uncertain time. Telemedicine visits range from telephone calls to e-mail threads to video visits.

Telephone encounters: Nobody is a stranger to calling their doctor’s office with questions or concerns, but did you know that your doctor may be able to conduct an office visit by phone? Much routine and follow up care can be relayed to a patient with a simple telephone call. Practices are using this method to relay important directives to their patients on what to do regarding abnormal imaging, test results, or prescription refills. Most of the time, this method of telemedicine is used for patients who are already established in their physician’s practice. 

E-mails/patient portal: Most major healthcare organizations have their own patient portals that they utilize to release test results, set up appointments, and communicate with their patients virtually. You may be able to submit a communication via your physician’s portal with symptoms you may be experiencing or results you may need a further or more simplified explanation on. By using this electronic method of communication, your physician can reply to your inquiry virtually and it will be documented in your electronic medical record.

Video visits: There is nothing than can replace the face to face interaction that one receives from their physician during an in-person office visit. This holds especially true in specialty practices, and for visits in which you have not yet met your physician. Video visits are the next best thing. By utilizing video visits, your physician can conduct a live appointment via skype, facetime, or other video chat methods. You can see your physician on camera, read their body language, and ask questions in which you receive immediate feedback.

At Pathway Patient Advocates, we use all methods of e-visits to care for our clients. If you need our assistance during this pandemic, please reach out to us to set up a free virtual consultation. 

Cancer and COVID

Cancer and COVID: How are life-threatening diagnoses being handled during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Cancellations. Restrictions. Office Closures.

All these things have reached an all-time high as our country battles the Coronavirus pandemic. Now is a time, more than ever, to fear getting a diagnosis that requires further workup, surgery, etc. The surgeon general has canceled all elective procedures. Hospitals have implemented restrictions on imaging and testing that can be completed. Specialty offices are closing, while their staff is being redeployed to the front lines. These are just a few of the hurdles that healthcare organizations and patients must jump over during this time. So, how are life-threatening diseases, such as cancer, being handled?

A suspicion of cancer requires imaging, lab work, and ancillary testing be done to reach a proper diagnosis. With all the current limitations, many patients are unable to obtain these necessary tests so that their physicians can appropriately diagnose them and determine treatment. Cancer treatment options include: chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. Surgeons are restricted and cannot operate on all their patients, while chemotherapy infusion centers are limiting the number of patients in their facilities. With all these restrictions in place, physicians are required to evaluate their patients to determine what the best treatment option will be. Can a patient’s condition wait a couple months to be re-evaluated? Is chemotherapy or radiation an option if surgery cannot be completed? These are the questions physicians are asking themselves when deciding which treatment plan to pursue during this time.

Physicians are doing all they can to best care for their patients. Safety is everyone’s priority. Times are scary. It is extremely important to understand all your options and coordinate with your physician to determine which treatment is right for you.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer, or any other life-threatening disease, call us at 248-247-8552 to set up a consultation. We will discuss treatment options to help you determine your correct path to better health. 

International Barriers

I can relate from personal experience, the difficulties getting accustomed to new a new atmosphere, new culture and just trying to stay afloat in a new life.

The US healthcare system is challenging enough for native American speakers, add any language barrier and it becomes almost impossible to understand. 

My parents migrated to the US just before I was born. They picked up their family of 6 and made the journey from Italy because of a job opportunity that my father received.  It was an opportunity to provide a better life for his family.  Now, several years later; they are grateful that they took that leap.  However, our family faced several struggles through the process as we adapted to our new life.

A few weeks after her arrival to Michigan, my mother started feeling sick, with some unusual symptoms.  She was just beginning to learn English and still did not have an established doctor. Without any opportunity for research, a recent acquaintance provided her with a number of a nearby doctor.  Her appointment ended with the doctor informing my mother that she had a large tumor in her uterus.  After about 2 months of various prescribed medications, her symptoms continued to worsen and the doctor informed her that the tumor was cancerous and continuing to grow.  He insisted that she have an urgent total hysterectomy performed. 

Of course, to a couple with 4 young children, who had just moved to a foreign new country-this was a lot to take in. Feeling that they had not had much of a choice, they trusted the doctor and proceeded with his recommendations. 

During the surgery, after her doctor’s scalpel opened up the uterus; to his surprise instead of a tumor-there was a baby sitting in there-nestled right next to an IUD.  The uterus was sutured and planned surgery aborted.

In recovery, my mother was informed of the news. Of course, she was relieved to find out she did not have cancer but shocked that she was pregnant, misdiagnosed and improperly treated. At the time, her doctor informed her that the fetus would unlikely develop to a full-term viable pregnancy.  My mother decided to take the risk, and a few months later she gave birth to a very little, but healthy baby girl.  And that is the LONG version of how I entered this world. 

While thankfully I was born healthy, I also suffered years and years of medical issues that could have potentially been prevented with better care.

While that was several years ago, I can tell you that despite the amazing advancements in medicine-similar errors like that happen today and I have witnessed them all too frequently. 

A language barrier or unfamiliarity with the US healthcare system, should not be a reason to result in improper medical care.

I see it all the time, where patients feel embarrassed or inadequate to ask health care professionals questions, because of a language or cultural barrier. Confusion and unfamiliarity with terms and processes lead to people being uninformed and also creates a lack of trust towards the health care system.  Once a lack of trust is present…It is so difficult to fix.

Right now, with so much necessary focus being targeted towrard the Coronavirus (or COVID19), access to adequate care has become even more challenging.

We can help…

Pathway Patient Advocates can walk with you and help you interpret medical bills, understand your various options for medical insurance coverage and provide you with available options of health care providers.  You will have the ability to make informed decisions for the care of yourself or your loved ones.

COVID19 ESSENTIALS

By now you are probably very familiar with the word COVID19. And have heard various different opinions and may be confused as to what to believe.

Here are some basics of what you need to know. If you have an underlying medical problem such as cancer, diabetes or are immunocompromised and need direction on who to contact or what to do; contact us and we can help you navigate to the information and providers that you need. By now you are probably very familiar with the word COVID19. And have heard various different opinions and may be confused as to what to believe.

WHAT IS COVID19:     The coronaviruses are a group of viruses.  There are many different strains.

In December 2019, a new strain of Coronavirus was identified in China.  The corona virus was thought to be contracted by a person from an animal while at a live animal market in Wuhu, China.  Since then, it has rapidly spread. The coronavirus quickly became known as COVID19. In March of this year, the Word Health Organization characterized COVID19 a national pandemic.  It is spreading rapidly and has affected people in all 50 US states and at least 166 countries. 

Many Names:             Some now refer to COVID19 as the Chinese virus. So whether you hear Corona virus, COVID19 or Chinese virus, it is all referring to the same virus.

How is it Spread:        The virus was thought to be spread by respiratory droplets; which means it is spread from person to person by, droplets that are not seen by the human eye. The virus spreads in the air from one person to another. The droplet can get in the mouth or nose of individuals and further spread throughout the body.  What’s more, the virus can live on different services for different lengths of time.  

However, most recent research has supported the virus to be airborne-meaning it can be spread just by breathing in contaminated air (not requiring droplet contact). This update is important because it calls for more stringent measures to prevent spread.

The exact length of time the virus lives on various surfaces is not exactly known; but it is suspected that the virus can live on surfaces such as steel, plastic, and glass from 3 or more days.

Resources:                  A lot about this VIRUS is still a mystery, but every day we learn more. The following websites are great up-to-date information about the virus:


The primary goal of healthcare is to appropriately focus all efforts toward defeating this horrible virus.

This inevitably leaves many patients with other medical issues unaddressed. If you have a medical issue that you are having difficulty getting addressed to delayed access secondary to the focus on the COVID19 pandemic; we are here to help you navigate the appropriate path. Contact Pathway Patient Advocates: (248) 247-8552.