Will face masks become the new normal in medical offices?
Erie hospitals had been offering telemedicine for years, giving patients the opportunity to see a primary-care physician, dermatologist or other medical providers via laptop or smartphone.
A few patients took advantage of the program, but it accounted for less than 1% of all office visits as recently as a year ago, according to local hospital leaders.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic reached Erie County. It clearly had an effect, said Saint Vincent Hospital President Christopher Clark, D.O. Telemedicine was as high as 70% of our visits during the early part of the pandemic, now it s closer to one-third of our visits in December.