The government has authorised doctors to tele-consult with patients in certain situations, allowing health care providers to perform a variety of tasks that don’t require face-to-face interaction. 

Desperate times call for desperate measures. At least that’s what the old adage says. But in this time of crisis, an emerging system born out of necessity may become a blueprint for the future of health care in the Principality.

Tele-consultations have been authorised by the government giving leeway to health care providers, whose specialities allow it, to practice whilst maintaining the rules of confinement. These consultations are ideal for patients who do not physically need to be seen by a doctor, and therefore are conducive to a number of follow-ups or ongoing medical treatments.

This solution gives patients the peace of mind of being able to speak with their trusted health care professional without endangering themselves or their provider. No waiting room visits keep the possibility of contamination at bay, whilst still giving patients what they need. These “visits” also are far less time consuming for both patient and doctor. As it is all done digitally, basic services can be provided without travel time, waits or unnecessary delays.  

The Princess Grace Hospital (CHPG) is already using teleconferencing, and now the Institut Monegasque de Medicine du Sport (IM2S), the Cardiothoracic Centre and many doctors and midwives are taking advantage of this solution. The government has compiled a list of participating health care specialists who are using this system which can be found on the website that was set up for the crisis at www.covid19.mc

France has tried this method and is finding great success. Training requires less than 20 minutes for professionals and includes an online payment option, a videoconferencing tool, and a secure prescription authorisation module for patients. The billing process for insurance reimbursement remains the same.

Tele-consultations are accessed through a secure link sent to the patients email address, sent by the health care provider when the patient makes the appointment. The first of these appointments have started and have successfully been achieved, making this method a viable permanent solution when de-escalation begins in earnest.

 
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