“Can anyone offer advice or input for a telemedicine visit? The telemedicine visit was performed to update a history and physical prior to surgery AND it is performed by a medical assistant.”
Medical assistants are part of the medical team consisting of nurses, physicians, and other health care professionals who work in health care. Thanks to technological advances, they can perform their job in a traditional office or telehealth setting. It’s important to know what to expect in either setting.
In a traditional office setting, the duties of a medical assistant may vary. However, in general those tasks include meeting the patient prior to a physician in an exam room. The medical assistant greets the patient, takes down the vitals, and reviews the reason for the appointment. They note the vitals include the patient’s height, weight, blood pressure, and temperature. In certain instances, the medical assistant has the authority to review the patient’s medication list and jot down any other important updates, such as a change in medical, social, and family history.
With respect to a telemedicine encounter, although they no longer physically escort a patient into an exam room, the medical assistant can still take vitals remotely. The medical assistant should also make sure the patient knows what to expect during a telehealth visit and how it might differ from an in-person exam. Of course the medical assistant still has the ability to review the patient’s medication list and jot down any other important updates, such as a change in medical, social, and family history.
Regarding the medical assistant updating a history and physical exam prior to surgery, this can be problematic. As far as updating the history is concerned, this can certainly be performed by the medical assistant as long as the physician reviews the updated medical history and of course signs off on it. However, when it comes to the physical examination, a medical assistant, even if they are a certified medical assistant or a certified podiatric medical assistant, are not physicians or other qualified health care professionals. They are not licensed to perform physical examinations or make medical decisions. Since the posted encounter is performed prior to surgery being performed, wouldn’t it make the most sense for the physician that will be performing the surgery to participate in this important telemedicine visit to update the physical findings, review the procedure(s) and answer any questions that the patient might have? Of course it is.
This is my opinion.
Michael G. Warshaw
DPM, CPC
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