Butler Health System | Health Link | Summer 2020

Telehealth is here to stay Richard J. Begg, MD, FACC, FSCAI, Interventional Cardiology Medical Director, BHS Cardiovascular Service Line The concept of telehealth, or virtual visits, is not new. In 2020 so much of our daily lives is affected by the use of cyber communications that there is little reason to suspect that this would not extend into health care. Changes here are generally slow. However, the COVID-19 crisis has launched us headlong into the development and improvement of these virtual services. Virtual visits offer easier access Cardiovascular disease remains one of the most prevalent conditions afflict- ing our country. Patients often require intensive and frequent care. Access remains an issue. Butler Health System covers a large geographic area, much of which is rural. Access to cardiologists remains problematic. Tele- health is just another tool that helps us to provide improved access to all of our patients. To date, we as health care providers have learned that given the right set of circumstances, virtual visits work. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, our cardiology office performed only infrequent and isolated electronic visits. Within two weeks, however, we were able to establish a telehealth service that was able to offer 70% of the normal number of office appointments. Our satisfaction survey suggests that, for the majority of patients, this was technically possible and repre- sented an acceptable alternative to face-to-face visits. ‘Here to stay’ Telehealth does not replace the traditional approach to seeing patients in an office setting. It merely supplements it. Not all patients are candidates to be seen remotely—some need hands-on evaluation. Early experiences suggest that virtual visits can be as effective as those performed in person. This is obvi- ously most important for patients for whom the alternative would be no care at all. The remainder of the story, clearly, has yet to be written. But I suspect that here at the Butler Heart Team, telehealth is here to stay. Telehealth at BHS brings your doctor right to your phone or computer. Learn more about how it works at butlerhealthsystem.org/Services/ Telehealth.aspx . wasn’t a good option because it would have left Jim vulnerable to a potentially debilitating stroke. “So he was an ideal candidate for the Watchman,” Dr. Carey says. The Watchman is a permanent implant—about the size of a quarter— that seals off the part of the heart, the left atrial appendage (LAA), where blood clots normally form. The device traps any clots in the heart before they can escape and travel to the brain. To implant the Watchman in Jim, Dr. Carey and a team at BHS inserted a thin tube (like an IV) through a small groin puncture and guided the Watch- man into Jim’s heart. A quick return to the life he loves Jim went home the day after his Watch- man procedure and was able to stop taking his blood thinners after about 45 days. The retired business owner of Miller Shoes is 87 years old and look- ing forward to spending more time with Madelyn, playing the saxophone, and supporting Jim Jr. to carry on the family legacy at the store on Main Street. “From start to finish, they took extremely good care of me,” Jim says. “I couldn’t ask for any better care than what I got.” Keep your heart strong. For an appointment, call BHS Cardiology at 866-620-6761 . We accept most insurances, including Highmark and UPMC health plans. Richard J. Begg, MD, FACC, FSCAI, Interventional Cardiology Medical Director, BHS Car- diovascular Service Line, and Heather Boles, RN, Clinical Coordinator. Jim and Madelyn Ciprean of Butler, PA, married 64 years. ButlerHealthSystem.org | 5