Telemedicine
Transitioning to Telemedicine Treatment
Our primary goal at Golisano Children’s Hospital (GCH) is to provide the very best quality of care in an environment that is safe for everyone. Given the public health risks surrounding the potential spread of this new virus, we are working to move in-person appointments to telemedicine visits with your provider. Medical information shared with your provider during this visit will be documented and safeguarded just as it would during an in-person visit. There may be a fee associated with a telemedicine visit, but it’s typically lower than the cost of an in-person appointment.
Videos
What is Telemedicine?
Dr. Neil Herendeen explains how telemedicine video conferencing using ZOOM allows us to address routine questions and issues during this time of social distancing.
Getting Started With Telemedicine
Dr. Neil Herendeen discusses the steps potential telemedicine patients at Golisano Children's Hospital need to take to get started.
Spanish CC is available.
Contact Our Zoom Help Line for Support
A Zoom Help Line for patients who are doing telephone or video visits is available by calling 1-844-455-8762. Calls will be answered Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
FAQs
What is telemedicine and why is it being used right now?
Telemedicine is a way to replace in-person clinic visits with video-conferencing. Through usage of MyChart and the Zoom app, patients will be able to conduct video conferencing with their care provider for many types of services.
Using telemedicine, when appropriate, encourages social distancing, which could reduce the spread of the virus. This is incredibly important for children, who — given the evidence — experience milder forms of the Covid-19 virus and may be spreading it without detection.
Who is eligible for a telemedicine visit?
Providers will determine on a case-by-case basis whether patients who are discharged from the hospital are eligible to schedule follow-up appointments via telemedicine. If your child is currently receiving inpatient services at GCH, your provider will inform you upon being discharged.
How are telemedicine visits set-up? Do I need special equipment?
There are some important steps to being able to have a telemedicine visit through GCH:
- Patients must have an active MyChart account. If you or your child does not currently have a MyChart account, please take the steps to sign-up through the following link. Your provider will also be able to offer guidance on signing up.
- You must download the Zoom app for your mobile phone.
- Once you joined MyChart and have downloaded the Zoom app, your provider will set up an appointment and give you a phone number to dial-in.
Will I be charged for a telemedicine visit?
There may be a fee associated with a telemedicine visit, but it’s typically lower than an in-person appointment. Billing procedures around telemedicine visits are still being determined.
What happens in a telemedicine visit?
A telemedicine appointment is similar to an in-person visit including the fact that your doctor’s office will book a certain day and time for the appointment. If you dial in at your appointment time and the doctor is not there yet please be patient as they may be running a few minutes behind. During the conversation with the patient, the doctor takes notes just like they would during an in-person visit, and these notes will be shared on MyChart. Patients will also receive an after-visit summary through MyChart or by mail if they don’t use MyChart.
Please note: Other departments within the University of Rochester Medical Center may be using telemedicine in different ways. The GCH staff will make every attempt to provide clear instructions, and patients are encouraged to ask questions. Also, as the concerns around COVID-19 change, telemedicine plans may shift as well.